Soulless
by Bookwrm389
Summary: Huskisson's attempt at human transmutation ended in disaster. Or so the brothers thought. But when soulless monsters rise from the depths and besiege an ocean town, it's up to Ed and Al to make sure Huskisson's sins are buried for good. Movie spoilers.
1. Human Transmutation

_A.N. I've been working on this one for awhile now and it's bugging me that I can't seem to stay focused on it. Anyway, I figured I'd throw the first chapter to the lions and see how it went. This first chapter is from the beginning of the movie with some additions. The chapters will switch back and forth between Al and Ed's perspective. Rated for Ed's mouth, naturally._

Chapter One - Human Transmutation

"Damn, where'd he go?" Ed muttered, coughing harshly from the yellow smoke Huskisson had released to cover his getaway. As if on cue, heavy footsteps echoed back from a hallway branching off the main laboratory and Ed took off in that direction, automail arm glinting dimly beneath a tattered red sleeve. Al followed quickly, pulling on his helmet as he ran.

As they pursued Huskisson, Al's mind turned uneasily to the uranium bomb the scientist carried. From the physicist's explanation, it was a truly powerful weapon and one wrong move would send the entire floating lab to the bottom of the ocean. They had to disable it somehow, but Al had a sinking feeling that Huskisson wouldn't give it up so easily.

The corridor took a sharp turn and opened up into a multi-leveled, circular room. Many, many walkways encircled the room on different levels and catwalks extended out to an enormous machine in the middle. The purpose of the machine became clear when a huge drill was lifted onto the catwalk Ed and Al stood on and shot straight for them. Al dove one way and Ed dove the other and the drill slammed into the doorway behind them, showering them both in pieces of stone.

Al could see Huskisson powering the drill and, judging from the furious way he was watching Ed, his brother would be Huskisson's first target. Everyone seemed to make the mistake that Ed was the more dangerous of the two since he was the State Alchemist, but Al didn't mind. The two of them worked as a team and with Huskisson's attention focused on Ed, Al could make his move.

Ed raced around the walkway and Huskisson swung the drill in his direction, only barely missing him. Al tore his eyes away from the battle to activate the array he'd hastily drawn on the wall. A ladder materialized from the stone and Al started climbing toward his target--the machinery that allowed the drill to move around.

Below, Ed had escaped another close call and dropped down a level. He started running in the other direction with Huskisson's drill in hot pursuit. Al reached the top of the ladder and, knowing he had to be quick, dashed across a steel beam toward the gears hooked to the center of the ceiling. A quick transmutation was all it took to deform the machinery and stop the drill in its tracks.

Huskisson looked up from the drill's controls, shocked by the damage Al had caused. Seconds later, Ed hopped onto the drill and transmuted one of his signature balloons over the dangerous end to keep it from causing any more damage. Just like that, they had the upper hand.

Al transmuted a ladder on the drill's central pillar and started to climb down. Hopefully, this could be resolved a little more peacefully now.

"Damn you," Huskisson growled, his voice echoing up and down the now-silent chamber, "and your mystical alchemy! If it wasn't for you _zealots_, the physicists would be guiding this state into a new and enlightened age!"

"Enlightenment like _that?_" Ed asked in a deadly whisper.

Al looked down and felt a chill in the lines of his blood-seal when he saw what Ed was pointing at. Past a collapsed wall the drill had knocked down, dozens of corpses lay piled carelessly together, every one of them dressed in worker clothing.

Huskisson seemed taken aback for a moment, but then he waved a hand dismissively. "Uranium mining is dangerous. It's the cost of progress!"

"Science that doesn't benefit people is no science at all!" Al called down angrily. Al could never understand how people like Huskisson could readily sacrifice so many lives for the sake of their twisted ambitions. Didn't the physicist feel any remorse for those poor people and their families?

Ed obviously felt the same way. Al saw his brother move toward Huskisson with a murderous look on his face and he quickly resumed his slow climb down. He had almost reached the bottom when Huskisson cried out, "Stand back!"

Huskisson had stepped away from the drill's controls, holding out the uranium bomb. Al flinched when he brandished it around recklessly.

"You know what this is now!" Huskisson said menacingly. "Interfere and I'll use it!"

Neither Al nor Ed dared to move as Huskisson passed Ed and stepped onto the catwalk, moving toward the corpses.

"I may not respect your _sorcery_," Huskisson said arrogantly, "but that hasn't stopped me from learning it. For a man versed in atomic equations, a few circles were easy enough to understand."

Huskisson pulled out a piece of paper with his free hand and even from that distance Al could tell it was some kind of transmutation circle. He couldn't see the details of the array, but it seemed Ed could because when his brother spoke he sounded uneasy.

"What are you planning now?" Ed murmured.

Huskisson gestured back at the bodies. "It's my backup plan, Fullmetal! An army of men fused with machines! You won't stand a chance!"

Al's grip on the ladder tightened. Was he serious? Huskisson couldn't possibly think he could bring those men back to life, could he?!

"Don't do it!" Ed shouted urgently, putting Al's thoughts into words. "That's human transmutation! Listen to me…life only flows in one direction and humans aren't supposed to be brought back. It's alchemy's greatest taboo for a reason!"

Then, of all things, Huskisson _laughed_. And Al knew then that the physicist had no clue what he was dealing with. If he went through with this, he would be devoured by the very forces he wanted to control.

"Your arcane rules mean nothing to me!" Huskisson stated, setting the array on the ground. "I'm a man of science!"

"Huskisson, _no!_" Ed screamed, sprinting forward just as the transmutation began.

"Brother, wait!" Al yelled. If Ed got anywhere near the array while the transmutation was still going--!

Al dropped down the last few feet to the drill. Just as he landed, he slipped and fell to one knee, losing his grip on his chalk. Al didn't bother to watch it roll off the drill and fall into oblivion. His mind was only on Ed, who had vanished into the blinding light of the transmutation.

"Brother!" Al called, jumping onto the catwalk and rushing toward the light. He had just reached the room when Ed emerged from it, his face completely white. Seconds later, a familiar black tentacle came into view, little grasping hand hungry for a sacrifice.

"Al,_ run!_"

Al turned to flee, but halted when he heard Ed cry out. The tentacle had hooked around Ed's automail leg and was dragging him back. Al dashed forward and wrapped his arms around Ed, stopping him from being pulled any further. For a moment, the black tendril seemed to loosen its grip. Then three more whipped out of the room to wind around Ed's neck and waist and he was forcefully ripped from Al's arms.

"_ALPHONSE!_" Ed shrieked as the tentacles hauled him into the room and out of sight.

"_Ed, NO!_"

Al rushed into the room after his brother and for the second time in his life looked on a human transmutation gone horribly wrong. Huskisson's transmutation circle glowed with an eerie purple light and white lightning shot out from the circle's edges, creating scorch marks on the walls and floor. More black tentacles, emerging from the center of the array, had entwined themselves around the corpses, twisting them, changing them. Huskisson was nowhere in sight.

A terrified cry made Al run closer the deadly reaction. Ed was halfway across the room, clawing wildly at the floor in an attempt to keep himself from reaching the array. Al lunged forward and landed on his stomach, just barely latching onto Ed's forearms. His armor scraped against the stone as the Gate's pawns drew them closer and closer to the glowing circle.

"_Let go of him!_" Al screamed, his voice lost in the roaring noise of the transmutation. "_Don't take him, please!_"

Ed's feet were less than a meter from the circle now. Any closer and he would become part of the reaction, disintegrating into millions of atoms and molecules only to reform before the Gate. And once you went beyond the Gate, there was no coming back.

Ed met his brother's eyes and even through the blinding flashes of light Al could see the tears in them. "Run!" Ed gasped. "Run away!"

"No!" Al flung an arm around Ed's shoulders and pulled him close. Black hands began creeping into the armor, but Al made no move to release Ed. If the Gate wanted his brother, then it would have to take them both.

The transmutation reached its peak and an evil red light filled the room. Alchemic energy swirled around the two boys, deafening in its intensity. Ed closed his eyes and wrapped both his arms around Al's broad forearm. Al tightened his hold and they clung to each other, awaiting the inevitable.

Then, as suddenly as the transmutation began, everything stopped. The Gate's greedy hands vanished as if they had never been and the light petered out. Dense smoke filled the room, replacing the last of the fading energy. Al looked down, half-expecting Ed to be missing another limb, but he was unhurt.

Ed and Al slowly loosened their grips on one another then together they turned to look at the results of Huskisson's transmutation. Guttural moans emerged from the corpses as the soulless creatures struggled to breathe, to live. Many of the bodies had merged with the machines as Huskisson intended, but judging by how deformed they were none of them would last much longer.

"I can't believe we survived that," Ed whispered.

Al averted his gaze from the mutilated creatures, wishing he could throw up. "Brother? Was Huskisson…?"

Ed nodded gravely. "Saw him vanish right after it started. The bomb went with him."

"It's probably just as well," Al said after a moment. "The bomb, I mean. It was the prototype so now no one can use that power unless they make another one."

"Which they won't," Ed said firmly. He stood up and Al saw that Ed's hands were trembling. It had truly been a close call.

Al stood as well and they left the room, eager to put some distance between themselves and the gurgling mass of organs and body parts. Neither spoke until they reached an opening in the outer wall of the lab and stepped out into sunlight. Far below the ledge they stood on lay the ocean, calm and tranquil and Ed took a deep, shuddering breath of the fresh air. Al wondered if it was just to calm his nerves or if he was trying to clear his lungs of the air fouled by the transmutation. Probably both.

"It's just like what happened to us when we tried to bring Mom back," Ed said, his expression growing dark with the painful memory.

"You mean almost like us," Al said softly. "You kept my soul here, attaching it to this armor by trading your arm while for his attempt…he lost it all."

Ed's automail hand formed a fist and he inspected the bright metal thoughtfully. "He didn't respect Equivalent Exchange," he said finally, "and that's why we need the Stone--to get your body back."

"Your arm and leg too, Brother," Al added quickly. It seemed like Ed always needed to be reminded that their journey was for his benefit as well.

Abruptly, Ed turned to his younger brother. "Let's go! This whole castle's about to explode."

Wait, _what?! _

"W-Why?!" Al stammered.

Ed grinned, his eyes sparkling in a thoroughly self-satisfied way. "Cause I don't like it! I made some adjustments to the steam tanks."

Al was about to ask just what kind of 'adjustments' Ed was talking about when a thunderous _BOOM! _shook the lab down to its foundations.

"Why do you have to be so excessive!" Al demanded. "You should have told me!"

"There's no point in arguing now!" Ed retorted. He turned back to the ocean. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Go _where?!_" Al screeched, waving his hands frantically. "We're floating on the water and if I get wet I could wash off my blood-seal!"

"Then stop whining and help me think!" Ed snapped.

_KA-BOOM!_

There was no time to think anymore. Not with the castle falling apart all around them. Ed hastily transmuted the remains of a small storage tank into a boat and they boarded just as the last of Huskisson's lab sank into the ocean.

At which point, their makeshift boat promptly started leaking, requiring them to bail out water constantly while Ed kept up the panicked mantra of, "We're sinking we're sinking we're sinking we're sinking--!"

"I know, I know! I'm trying!" Al cried.

"Faster, Al!"

Maybe later, Al would admit to his brother that sinking the lab had been a semi-good idea as it ensured that Huskisson's research and his stock of uranium would never be found.

"Give me your head!" Ed howled, snatching off Al's helmet to use as a bailout bucket.

_Much_ later.

* * *

**_Three Months Later_**

_Brrriiiiiiinnnnggg!_

Al jumped at the sudden ringing and looked up from the open book in his hands. Seeing sunlight streaming in from the window, Al realized it must be morning. For once, he hadn't even noticed the passage of time, he'd been so engrossed in the book.

The phone across the dorm rung again and a sleepy groan surfaced from the pile of blankets and pillows that was Ed. An automail arm emerged from under the covers and latched onto a pillow, which Ed immediately clamped around his head to cover his ears.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Al asked.

Taking Ed's irritated grunt as a 'no', Al carefully marked his place in the book and picked up the phone in mid-ring.

"Hello?"

"_Alphonse? This is Colonel Mustang._"

"Good morning, Colonel," Al said politely, though in reality he was instantly on high alert. The colonel only called their dorm in East City when he had a new mission or lead for Ed.

Right on cue. "_Is Fullmetal there?_"

"Yes, he's just waking up," Al answered with a glance in Ed's direction.

"No, I'm _not_, Al!" Ed growled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

There was a sigh from Mustang's end. "_I guess I'll just talk to you then, I'm not in the mood for his morning attitude. Tell your brother that I have a new mission for him. I want him here for briefing in half an hour, even if it means asking you to drag him over in his boxers._"

"I'm sure it won't come to that," Al assured him. "We'll be right there."

There was a despairing moan from the bed's general direction and Al watched in amusement as Ed burrowed even deeper into the blankets, not bothering to take the pillow off his head.

"_Fullmetal doesn't sound happy, does he?_" Mustang asked and Al realized he must have heard Ed's reaction to Al's half of the conversation. "_If it helps, you can tell him that this mission is a little more interesting than the ones he normally goes on._"

"Ok, I'll tell him."

"_Half an hour, then,_" Mustang reminded him then hung up.

Al replaced the phone in its cradle and considered the bed's occupant with his hands on his hips. Ed didn't react at all to his presence and Al heard a suspiciously fake-sounding snore.

"Brother, I know you're awake," Al said accusingly.

"Mmphshhm…pshmm…" was all the reply Ed offered.

Al whipped off both pillow and blankets in one smooth motion. Ed remained completely limp with his eyes tightly closed while Al shook his shoulder.

"The colonel has a new mission for you," Al said urgently. "He wants you in his office in half an hour. He even said you might find this one interesting."

"The day he purposely gives me an interesting mission is the day he confesses his undying love to Lieutenant Hawkeye," Ed mumbled, proceeding to tug the pillow out of Al's hands and back over his head. "Which I would pay to see, by the way," he added.

"Brother, just get up."

"Make me," Ed grumbled.

Al eyed Ed in exasperation until he decided on a surefire way to get his brother out of bed. Carefully, he leaned over Ed and, when the other gave no response, began tickling him.

"_AL!_" Ed howled, fighting back peals of laughter as Al's leather fingers ghosted over his skin mercilessly.

"You brought this on yourself!" Al shouted playfully, his laughter joining Ed's. "If you had just gotten up in the first place it wouldn't have come to this!"

"Shut--up--damn it--stop--!" Ed choked, struggling for every word. As the tickle torture continued, Ed's face grew red and his laughs turned into breathless gasps. He clawed at the bed sheets trying to crawl away and Al wrapped an arm around his brother's waist to keep him prisoner.

"Need--to--breathe--!" Ed wheezed helplessly, pounding Al's chest plate weakly with his automail hand.

"Are you awake now, Brother?" Al asked.

"_Yes!_" Ed yelled desperately.

"But are you _sure_ you're awake?" Al inquired sadistically, seeking out Ed's most sensitive areas to make him laugh all the louder.

"You're evil!" Ed cried, squirming in Al's grip. "You--need air--please--!"

Finally, Al released him and Ed slumped against him in relief. His arms were curled around his sides and Al worried for a moment that he'd been too rough without meaning to. But then Ed turned toward him with such a silly grin stuck to his face that Al couldn't help but laugh.

"You're really evil sometimes, you know that?" Ed said in mock seriousness, trying and failing to give his brother a death glare.

"And you're really lazy sometimes," Al responded with equal lightheartedness.

Ed rolled his eyes and reluctantly got out of bed. It only took a few minutes for him to toss on his usual outfit and put his hair up in a messy braid then they were out the door.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at headquarters, which was bustling with activity even at such an early hour. As usual, Ed ignored everyone else's presence as he forged ahead toward Mustang's office, pausing only once to greet Lieutenant Hawkeye as she walked by. When they reached the colonel's office, Al quickly knocked on the door before his brother could kick it open. Ed settled for letting himself in without waiting for a response and they found the colonel casually folding a paper airplane out of an important-looking document.

"And you call _me_ lazy," Ed muttered to Al as they took seats on the couch.

"There's a difference between being lazy and knowing one's priorities, Fullmetal," Mustang responded in a bored tone. He sent the airplane flying toward the trash can with a flick of his wrist then picked up a folder. Handing the folder to Ed, he continued, "Your latest assignment is in the town of Half Circle."

"Half Circle?" Ed asked incredulously. "Sounds like _someone_ was running short on creativity..."

"Anyway," Mustang said, leaning back in his chair, "there have been reports of strange creatures appearing around the town and attacking people at night. Your mission is to find out exactly the nature of the creatures and stop them if you can."

"What sort of creatures?" Al asked curiously. "And actually doesn't the town's name sound familiar, Brother?"

"Yeah, kind of," Ed admitted.

"The two of you have been to that town before," Mustang supplied helpfully, "during the whole Huskisson affair."

_That's right,_ Al thought. Huskisson's lab had been stationed a few miles offshore from the small, ocean town. Al remembered meeting Huskisson at the train station, but then they had gone straight out to the lab with Ed following close behind. He had little memory of the town itself.

Mustang pointed out one page of the report that described the attacks in detail. "The townspeople have reported that the creatures appear to be half-human, half-machine. Normally, I would send ordinary soldiers to confirm such a bizarre story first, but one of the townspeople managed to snap a photo of one of the creatures."

Al looked up in interest as the colonel held out a small photograph to them, his expression for once completely serious.

"Whatever these things are," Mustang said quietly, "they're not human. And I can't think of where they could have come from, unless they were made by--"

"--alchemy," Ed breathed, staring at the photo with wide eyes.

Concerned by Ed's tone, Al leaned over to get a look at the picture. The image itself was lopsided and a corner of it was blocked out by a huge pink blob where the camera man's finger had partially obscured the lens. The creature taking up the rest of the photo resembled an emaciated human being, but its skin was pallid like a corpse and many joints were bending the wrong way.

But the thing that caught Al's eye was that the side of its body turned toward the camera was covered in dark, rusted metal, almost as if automail plating had been grafted to the skin over its left hip, the outside of the left thigh and halfway across its chest and face. The upper half of its head was completely covered in metal and Al didn't know whether it was just the lighting, but its eyes appeared to be glowing a sickly green-yellow.

"Al," Ed said softly.

"Yeah," Al murmured, the image dredging up memories that made him feel at once horrified and incredibly sad. "I think so too."

Mustang looked between the two of them then sighed heavily. "I was afraid of this. Did something happen at that laboratory that you didn't tell me about?"


	2. Mistakes

_A.N. So I published the first chapter then looked at the second and realized it was CRAP! Ugh! Two days and several drafts later, I present you with the result. Hopefully, it's not crap anymore…_

Chapter Two - Mistakes

"We should have destroyed them."

"We had no way of knowing they would survive--"

"We're alchemists, Al! We saw the transmutation, we _saw_ what Huskisson created! And since he wasn't around to deal with his mistake, it was _our_ responsibility! It's our fault they survived long enough to hurt other people."

Al was silent at this, but out of the corner of his eyes Ed could see his younger brother watching him solemnly. The two of them had just boarded the train that would take them to Half Circle and now sat across from each other. A harsh whistle filled the air as the train pulled away from the station and began to pick up speed.

Ed pulled his legs up onto the seat so he could wrap his arms around them and rest is head on his knees in proper sulking mode. He stared out the window pensively, resenting the scenery for looking so normal.

"Brother?" Al said tentatively.

"Hm?" Ed grunted.

"How do you think they survived?" Al asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Ed didn't answer at first. He knew he should probably be directing his thoughts to that very question, but his mind refused to focus.

"I don't know, Al," Ed said absently. "I just don't know."

"We'll have to kill them, won't we," Al said softly. It wasn't a question.

Ed closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath. "Those were Mustang's orders," he said curtly. "We'll have to talk to the townspeople first and see if they know how many there are. I can't remember how many…how many bodies there were…"

Ed trailed off as his mind rewound back to the lab, to the transmutation, to the monsters born of alchemy and sin that he _should have done something about_ instead of just walking away. But those creatures hadn't looked capable of _breathing_, let alone surviving being dumped in the ocean miles from shore.

_However they did it, they have to die now_, Ed thought. _If I was any kind of alchemist, I would have killed those…those THINGS with my own hands._

But it was hard, so _hard_ not to feel at least some sympathy for them. Looking down at his gloved hands, Ed allowed himself to wonder what Huskisson's creations must have gone through in their first hours of life. Or rather, their first hours after having life forcefully shoved down their throats. How had they escaped the water with metal attached to their bodies? Did they even need oxygen like normal humans? It just didn't seem possible.

Ed mentally hit himself for such a stupid thought. Living through a human transmutation against all odds _was_ possible. Weren't he and Al proof of that?

But how did they know they weren't like Al? What if there were other souls attached to those bodies? Maybe even the souls of the workers, souls with no choice but to go on in the bodies they were given…

…but, no. At the very least, _that_ was impossible. Souls couldn't be called back from the dead. For this reason, a transmutation to create human life from death had never succeeded and never would. These beings could at best be counted as homunculi--living, but soulless, feeling absolutely nothing save the all-consuming desire to exist.

"You're right," Al said suddenly.

Startled, Ed looked up. "What?"

Keeping his attention on the moving scenery, Al elaborated, "It's our fault the people in that town are being threatened. We need to fix our mistake."

Ed remained silent for a moment, listening to the clattering of the tracks below the open window.

"They're not human," Ed said quietly, almost harshly. "They're…I don't know what they are, but they're not human."

There was a clink of metal as Al turned his head to look at him. "I know, Brother."

Left with nothing better to do, Ed lay on his side to take a nap, tucking his red coat under his head as a pillow. "Wake me up if something interesting happens," he muttered.

Al made a noise that sounded like an affirmative and within minutes Ed was asleep, lulled by the familiar sounds of a train taking them to their next destination.

* * *

_"Huskisson, NO!"_

_Blinding light, crackling energy. Ed raced toward the transmutation, knowing there was nothing he could do, but unable to stop himself. _

_"Brother, wait!"_

_Ed didn't stop, didn't even slow down. He ran and ran and all the while the array never drew any closer._

_"Brother!"_

_Suddenly, Huskisson was right in front of him, kneeling before the flashing circle. Ed halted. _

_"Huskisson?" _

_The physicist spun around and Ed recoiled in horror. The black hands of the Gate were wrapped around Huskisson's forearms and waist, deconstructing his body with sickening speed and accuracy. Still clinging to the uranium bomb, Huskisson reached out toward Ed with one half-disintegrated hand, his mouth open in a silent scream._

_"Brother!"_

_Ed blinked and cried out when he realized the person before him was no longer Huskisson._

_It was Al._

_"BROTHER!"_

Ed's eyes shot open and he jerked up halfway, gripping the edge of the train seat tightly. His head snapped around to the other seat, but Al wasn't there. Ed breathed a sigh of relief, glad that for once his younger brother hadn't seen him wake up like this--drenched in cold sweat, shaking and pale with Al's name clogging the back of his throat.

Ed rubbed his eyes irritably, trying to banish the dream from his mind. As a distraction, he sat upright and took a look out the window to see that they were just leaving another station. This was the third day of the train ride and Half Circle was the next stop. Already, the land had flattened out and was covered in the year-round greenery that was only made possible by the area's proximity to the ocean. This far north, the water was far too cold to enjoy a good swim and fog rolled inland every morning and evening, only abating during midday to let the sun shine.

Ed personally found the whole setup depressing.

Clanking footsteps behind Ed informed him of Al's arrival and a moment later Al sat down in the seat across from him.

"Oh good, you're awake," Al said cheerfully, handing him a small paper bag. "We stopped at a station for a little while, so I got you something to eat. And the conductor said it'll only be another half hour at most."

"Thanks," Ed said with a grateful smile. Halfway through the muffin Al had brought him, he noticed that his brother was fidgeting (as much as a suit of armor _can_ fidget). Al kept peering out the window in the direction they were heading then sitting back impatiently only to look out the window again.

"What's up with you?" Ed teased. Al finally sat still, but his soul-fire eyes were brighter than usual.

"I was talking this woman when I was waiting in line at the bakery," Al explained, "and she said there's going to be a festival going on in Half Circle in the next few days! They're celebrating vernal equinox and she said there'll be people visiting from the surrounding areas and entertainers and tournaments and all kinds of things going on!"

"Which we won't be able to enjoy," Ed pointed out. "We're on a mission, remember?"

"I know," Al said, his enthusiasm not curbed in the slightest, "but we could still check it out, right? Also, the woman said there's one event that happens every year and we're just in time to see it! Apparently, there's this pod of dolphins that comes to Half Circle every spring around this time and they're so friendly they'll come right up to you and let you pet them! Isn't that cool, Brother?"

"They're wild animals, Al. I doubt they're _that_ friendly."

Al tore his gaze away from the window and Ed got the feeling that if Al had a human face he would be wearing a brilliant smile.

"Well, we'll be able to see for ourselves," Al said happily. "I've never seen a dolphin except in pictures. I'd really like to see one up close!"

Ed shook his head hopelessly, but let it go. Once Al got excited about something it was nearly impossible to put him down.

"Come on, Brother, you know you would enjoy seeing them too," Al goaded.

"The mission has to come first," Ed said firmly. "You know that."

Al held his gaze silently for a moment. Then he nodded glumly and looked down at the floor. Ed instantly felt a guilty lump in his throat as he imagined Al's face falling in disappointment.

Ed sighed loudly and rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner. "I guess we could take a look, if we have some extra time…"

The rest of the sentence was lost as Al jumped up and yanked him into a hug. "Really?!" Al cried. "Oh, thank you, thank you, this is going to be so much fun!"

"Alright, alright I get it!" Ed yelled from somewhere around Al's midriff. Al eventually set him down and resumed watching for the town out the window while Ed straightened his coat.

"We _can_ go see the dolphins, right?" Al asked hopefully.

"We'll see," Ed said, unable to hold back a smile, "but dolphins are basically fish and you and I don't do so well in water."

"They're _mammals_, Brother," Al responded, "and maybe we can ask someone to take us out on a boat or something. I read somewhere that dolphins like to follow boats around."

"Or we can watch them safely from the shore," Ed suggested, vividly remembering their last chaotic attempts to keep a boat afloat.

Al seemed about to respond, but instead he rose from his seat and pointed out the window. "Look, there's Half Circle!"

Ed stood up and leaned out the window for a better look. Cold, salty air gave his senses a rude, but refreshing, wakeup call and the view that met his eyes was nothing short of stunning. The train was running alongside a cliff, at the base of which the gray ocean water crashed repeatedly in a thunderous display. Ed had only ever seen the ocean once or twice when his missions brought him close to it and the sheer magnitude of water never ceased to amaze him.

But several miles ahead was their real goal. There, the cliff slanted inland and formed an almost perfect circle, creating an enormous bay with a narrow opening on the north side that led out to the ocean. The town itself was built directly into the cliff and tiered so that the lower levels provided support to the mish-mash of buildings, homes and roads above them. The most activity could be seen on the very bottom tier, which was actually one long walkway that encircled the entire bay. Dozens of docks extended out over the icy waters, all flooded with people and boats going about their business.

"It's beautiful," Al murmured reverently.

Remembering the photo revealing the nature of what they were facing, Ed scowled. "Let's hope it stays that way."


	3. A Not So Warm Welcome

Chapter Three - A Not-So-Warm Welcome

As soon as they stepped out of the station, Al immediately hurried across the street to the sidewalk on the other side. Just beyond a sturdy railing the street dropped off to the next level of the tiered town. The train station was on the uppermost tier, just one of many buildings residing at the very top of the cliffs. From there, all of Half Circle and the bay were visible. Al was tempted to stay there for hours on end to observe the town from such a good vantage point.

"Come on, Al!" Ed called impatiently. "We've got to find a place to stay!"

Al turned away from the view reluctantly and followed Ed down the street toward a large flight of stairs leading down to the next level.

"We can't be too far from an inn," Al said as they descended the stairway. "They would get the best business by being close to the train station."

"We'll just have to ask the first person we find," Ed said decisively.

At the bottom of the staircase they found themselves on a large street and Al was nearly blown away by an onslaught of noise. It looked like this level was dedicated to the market and some small shops. There weren't any cars on the road. Instead, the citizens steered small carts pulled by mules or with their own hands and the sidewalks were flooded with people in the midst of their shopping. Preparations for the festival the next day could be seen everywhere, from colorful streamers and fans at every street corner to the brand-new merchandise stacked perfectly in shop windows.

The people of Half Circle were a lively bunch. All of them wore clothing that was light in both color and make and they spoke among themselves with the easy familiarity of those who had lived and worked together for their entire lives. It made Al nostalgic for the years he and Ed had spent growing up in Risembool.

Wasting no time, Ed walked up to a nearby child and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, can you tell us where the inn's at?"

The boy turned and examined Ed shyly then looked over his shoulder at Al. His mouth dropped open and he became very pale. Al slumped inwardly at the reaction and did his best to ignore it.

Ed waved a hand in front of the child's face, clearly annoyed. "Hello? Are you going to answer or just stare at us all day?"

The boy swallowed nervously and mumbled, "Um, it's down the street a ways. It's got a sign with a green starfish on it. Just head down that way and you'll find it…"

"Great!" Ed exclaimed. "Let's go, Al!"

As they set off down the street, Al looked back and saw the boy tugging at a woman's skirt urgently. The woman's eyes widened when she caught sight of Al and she grabbed the boy's hand and led him away quickly. Starting to feel depressed, Al moved his attention to the windows of the shops he and Ed were passing, hoping he wouldn't get too many reactions like theirs.

But apparently that was just wishful thinking. In the middle of examining the window of a shop that sold wind chimes, Al noticed the reflections of several people across the street eyeing him with suspicion. And when he turned around they didn't look away like most people did, but kept watching him with hard expressions. Al hurried to catch up with Ed, who of course had seen nothing.

"Brother," Al said in an undertone, "have you noticed we're getting stared at? More than usual anyway?"

Ed cast a look across the street and scowled at their observers. "People need to mind their own business," he growled.

Al was about to answer when his foot accidentally knocked into a pile of baskets outside a shop and sent them sprawling every which way. The shopkeeper was at the door in an instant. "Will you watch where you're walking!" he snarled. "Those aren't cheap!"

"Sorry about that!" Al said quickly and moved to restack the baskets.

The shopkeeper huffed impatiently and pulled the baskets out of Al's grip to stack them himself. "Never mind, never mind. Just watch it next time! We don't take to troublemakers here!"

"He said he was sorry!" Ed snapped.

"Yeah, yeah," the shopkeeper said, waving a hand dismissively. Just as they began to walk away, Al distinctly heard him mutter, "Metal freak…"

Ed's suitcase hit the ground with a loud _thud!_ and Al just barely reacted in time to restrain his brother as he launched himself at the shopkeeper in a blind rage.

"_Say that to my brother's face, you bastard!_"

"Ed, stop it--!"

"_No,_ Al! That was too far!"

The commotion caught the attention of everyone nearby and more people began approaching them from the surrounding shops. None of them wore expressions of welcome. Al kept a tight hold on a still-flailing Ed, wondering if there was any way to keep the situation from escalating.

"They causing trouble, Dorian?" one man asked the shopkeeper.

Dorian cast the two of them a calculating gaze. "Nothing I can't handle, but the little one's showing signs of violence."

"Who the _hell_ are you calling _little?!_" Ed roared, renewing his struggle in Al's grip.

"Brother, please," Al murmured in a pacifying tone. From the looks of things, the townspeople were a little more prejudiced than they were used to. Getting angry would only make things worse.

"Sorry if we caused any trouble," Al said hastily. "We were just on our way to the inn and…we kind of…"

He trailed off when he realized that the people were now watching him uncertainly, as if politeness was the last thing they expected. Warily, Al set Ed back on his feet as the mob began muttering among themselves. Though they kept their voices low, Al caught a few stray remarks.

"…not acting like one of _them_…"

"…walk around wearing _that_ when our town is…"

"…wondered why he wasn't doing anything…thought the kid had tamed him somehow…"

"Wait just a damn minute!" Ed said suddenly, startling the townspeople with his interruption. "You thought my little brother was one of those half-metal monsters, didn't you? _Didn't you?!_"

Finally, it clicked and for a moment Al wished he could just sink into the ground. They had thought he was one of _them_. Al supposed he shouldn't be surprised, considering what Huskisson's creatures looked like, but the misunderstanding still bothered him. He was used to people regarding him with a certain amount of apprehension, but that normally vanished once he'd had a chance to explain--to an extent--his appearance. No one had ever mistaken him for anything other than a large human being wearing armor (except for that one time when someone thought he was a trashcan, but that wasn't the point!).

At least the townspeople had the grace to look ashamed of themselves. Al even caught a few apologetic looks in his direction.

"Our mistake, sirs," a woman said brusquely, but not unkindly. "We've had trouble with those brutes as you say and then you come walking up wearing all that armor. You can't blame us for being mistrustful."

"It's ok--" Al began.

"It's _not_ ok!" Ed snapped angrily. "You people have got a lot of nerve making those kinds of assumptions about complete strangers! What're you going to do when someone walks in with automail? Beat them to a pulp and throw them in the ocean?"

Al winced at Ed's blatant accusations then again at the affronted looks on the people's faces. Several opened their mouths to retaliate and Al prepared to play the mediator.

"Hold up!"

The townspeople all turned toward the voice with looks of recognition and respect. The owner of the voice strode over from across the street with a purposeful look on her sharply angled face. She was dressed in the same pale colors as the people, but carried herself with pride. Her hair was black with the faintest streaks of gray and trailed down to her waist in a long, ropy braid. She stopped a few paces from the group and put her hands on her hips.

"What's going on here?" she demanded in a tone that strongly reminded Al of Izumi when she was in a particularly commanding mood.

Dorian glanced between Ed and Al then stepped forward contritely. "Just a misunderstanding, Miss Loraden," he said gruffly.

"I can see that," Loraden replied. "Is this how we treat out-of-towners? By surrounding them and giving them a bit of third degree before they've had a chance to enjoy the ocean air? It's a wonder anyone still wants to come here! The festival begins _tomorrow_ and apparently you're all bent on driving away the very tourists that supply our town with their well-earned money!"

The mob positively wilted under her words and Al had to admire the way Loraden's words were swaying them. She definitely knew how to deal with the people of this town.

"We've got enough on our plate without forcing our troubles on others," Loraden said more softly, "and shouldn't you all be working on your own preparations for the festival?" She smiled at Dorian suddenly and added, "I'm still waiting on those baskets woven with black pearls you promised you'd have this year."

Dorian flushed slightly and mumbled something about the baskets almost being ready. One by one, the small crowd dispersed, leaving Ed and Al alone with Loraden.

"Thank you," Al said gratefully.

Loraden waved a hand. "No need. We're all a bit tense here."

Ed retrieved his suitcase and glared after the townspeople darkly. "We can see that. Loraden, right? We're trying to find the inn."

"Down that way," Loraden said, pointing down the street, "and it's Mayor Loraden to you."

"Mayor?" Al squeaked. "No wonder everyone listened to you!"

Loraden smiled dryly. "They don't always--just when their logic can't match up to mine, which only happens about half the time. By the way, you two wouldn't happen to be the Elric brothers, would you?"

At Ed's startled expression, Loraden laughed heartily. "I like to know what's going on in my town. I got a heads up from some bigwig in East City that I could expect you two. Heard you're going to take care of our little metal problem."

Ed nodded and held out his hand for Loraden to shake and Al noted with relief that he seemed to have calmed down, the incident with the townspeople momentarily forgotten.

"I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric," Ed said proudly, "and this is my little brother, Alphonse."

"So you're little brother's three times your height, eh Elric?" Loraden said with a grin, ignoring the tic in Ed's forehead and moving to shake Al's hand as well. "I've seen enough strange things in my life, nothing surprises me anymore."

Al shook her hand, surprised at the amount of muscle he could see straining against the sleeve on her arm. It rivaled the muscles of some of the men he'd met in this town. Loraden was no stranger to hard work.

"So," Loraden said in a businesslike tone, "you're probably wanting more information on the rusted brutes, right? Tell you what, you boys come and stay at my house and we can talk there. You could stay at the inn like you were planning, but our innkeeper's like a leech--he sucks you dry before you know he's there and he's a pain in the ass to get rid of."

Ed actually smirked at that statement as they followed Loraden down the street and Al wished he could smile with him. If there were more people like Loraden in this town then maybe this mission wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Loraden's house resided on the west side of the bay. It wasn't quite as grand as Al expected, but it was still plenty spacious. The house had three stories and, as Loraden explained, more rooms than she could use in a lifetime. There was a large courtyard in the front with a beautiful fountain in the center depicting three dolphins intertwined together.

As they entered the house, Al was again surprised at the lack of decoration. Most mayors took advantage of their position to accumulate at least _some_ wealth. But here, there was no obvious display of riches and Al realized that everything in the house, from the furniture to the rugs to the curtains, were products of Half Circle. They all had the same ocean-themed patterns and light, airy colors that dominated the town.

"The house is actually my father's," Loraden explained as she tramped up a flight of stairs with Ed and Al in tow. "He was the mayor for years and years and popular with the town. He retired a few years back to spend more time working on a boat project he started up. The people unanimously voted for me to take up the position, for some odd reason."

"They must have believed you would be as good a leader as your father," Al noted. He paused to examine two framed pictures on the wall. One portrayed three people--a younger Loraden, an older man with dark red hair and a thick beard and a woman who shared Loraden's ice-blue eyes and angled face. The second picture contained a smiling Loraden with her arm slung around a teenage boy's shoulders.

Loraden shrugged carelessly. "I'm alright, I guess. I take it as a compliment that the people haven't given me the boot yet.

Halfway down a hallway on the second floor, Loraden open a door to a small bedroom that was by no means opulent, but it was comfortable. The space was dominated by two large beds on opposite walls with a shared nightstand and a dresser. A second door led to a small bathroom with only the bare essentials.

"You two haven't got any problems sharing right?" Loraden asked. "Good, because my housekeeper's on vacation and I went to enough trouble cleaning up the one room. I'm not bothering with a second. Make yourselves at home. I'll go whip up something in the kitchen and we'll talk in my office down the hall."

"Great, I'm starving!" Ed exclaimed, entering the room and carelessly tossing his suitcase onto one of the beds. While Ed unpacked, Al took a look out the window. Their room had a good view of the courtyard and Al took a moment to watch the water trickle down the dolphin statues.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in a place like this?" Al said wistfully.

"Wet and foggy in the winter, wet and muggy in the summer," Ed muttered. "Not to mention people who're too dense to tell a soulless monster from an innocent civilian…"

"Brother," Al said reproachfully, turning from the window. "At least they realized their mistake. And anyway…can you really blame them for making it in the first place?"

From the way Ed's fiery gaze snapped up, Al knew it had been the wrong thing to say.

"Yes, I _can_, Al!" Ed said heatedly. "I mean, never mind the fact that you were just minding your own business, not bothering anyone. It just pisses me off that they went ahead and _assumed_ you were dangerous because of your armor…"

"Brother…"

"…and you don't even _look_ like those things! Hell, if I wasn't wearing my coat _I'd_ look more like them than you do! Just where do they get off judging perfect strangers like that?!"

"_Brother…_"

"_What_, Al?"

"We'd better get to Loraden's office," Al said calmly. "Remember? That mission we're supposed to be on?"

Ed grumbled something incoherent and most likely obscene, which Al pointedly ignored. Al didn't like to dwell on the past, but Ed was definitely the type to hold a grudge. The sooner Al helped redirect his attention elsewhere the better for everyone's peace of mind.

Loraden's office was only a few doors down and the mayor of Half Circle was already waiting for them on one of two couches facing each other. Beyond the couch, a huge window let in the afternoon sun and brightened the entire room in shades of gold. Al followed Ed's lead in sitting on the second couch and Ed immediately started in on the platter of shrimp laid out on the table between the couches. Loraden raised an eyebrow at the speed at which he was consuming them and Al was torn between embarrassment and fondness.

"So," Loraden began, "you two know the general situation, right?"

"Yeah," Ed mumbled around a mouthful of shrimp. "We saw a picture of one of those creatures. We know what we're up against."

Loraden gave him a dry smile. "I don't think you do. I had better start at the beginning. These brutes started appearing in our town a few months back. At first, they didn't cause much harm and we kind of ignored them, hoping they would go away."

Loraden leaned forward and rested her folded hands on her knees, her face lined by stress. "Lately," she continued, "they've been breaking into buildings by ones and twos and causing a whole lot of damage. Anyone that tries to stop them gets attacked and those metal limbs pack quite a punch, let me tell you. We've only had a few broken limbs and one concussion, but I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before someone gets killed."

"Do you know what they're after?" Al asked, puzzled by the creatures' actions.

"That's the strange part," Loraden replied. "They never take anything from us. It's like all they want is to destroy as much as possible. But there's more strange where that came from. The second time they attacked some of the men followed them and figured out where they're coming from--the ocean. They climb right up the docks to get to the town and leave the same way."

Al glanced quickly over at Ed and saw him swallow thickly and place his fork back on the platter with great care.

"You two don't seem surprised," Loraden said slowly.

Ed met Al's gaze and Al could tell that his brother was considering telling her the truth and wanted Al's opinion. Al gave a minute shrug. He wasn't entirely certain whether they could trust Loraden with everything, but she _was_ the town's mayor. It was her right to know.

Finally, Ed seemed to come to a decision because he turned to back to Loraden with a solemn look. "Actually, Al and I already know where they came from."

Loraden's eyes narrowed and she sat up a little straighter.

"Did you ever hear of a physicist name Huskisson?" Ed asked.

Loraden nodded curtly, her lips growing tight. "He's the scum who set up his mining rig a few miles from our shores. Enlisted nearly thirty men from our town to help him in his project, but the last time someone went out to the lab by boat it was gone. We haven't seen hide nor hair of the men he took. If you two know where he's at, do me a favor and announce it to the town so the families of those men can chase him down and skin him."

"Well," Ed said tentatively, "a few months ago Huskisson invited the two of us out to his lab to take a look at the project. His project was going well, but…"

At Ed's hesitation, Al said gently, "Huskisson was mining uranium, which is a toxic metal if it's not treated carefully. Nearly all of the workers had died."

Loraden said nothing at first. Then she stood up and walked slowly to the window. The sadness on her face as she gazed out at the town made her seem much older than she really was and Al felt the barest shadow of pain in his hollow chest. How many times had he seen Ed wearing that exact same expression?

"No less than I expected," Loraden said quietly. "I knew Huskisson was bad news, but his project sounded promising for the town's economy. I tried to discourage the people from taking jobs with him. I didn't want us to get too involved, but young men will be young men…"

Loraden seemed to give herself a slight shake and turned back to them. "What does this have to do with the rusted brutes?"

Ed and Al once again shared a look and this time Al shook his head slightly. It would only be worse for Loraden and Half Circle if they knew that the creatures were alchemically made from the bodies of the dead workers.

"They're…Huskisson's creations," Ed said slowly. "You see, once we saw what happened to the workers we were planning to stop the project and he…brought out those things to stop us. Things got…a little out of hand and the lab's steam tanks were damaged. They exploded and the lab sank into the ocean with Huskisson and those creatures still inside. Al and I were the only ones who got away."

It wasn't the whole truth, but it would suffice. The two of them had gotten very good at bouncing around the truth in order to protect certain details, whether about themselves or for something like this.

"We figured it was some kind of accident like that," Loraden said after a moment. "I'm going to ask you two to keep this from the rest of the town. The families have been mourning for awhile now and it won't help any to tell them their boys died from Huskisson's carelessness."

"You have to understand," Ed said swiftly, "we thought those things were dead. If we had known--"

"You don't need to explain yourselves," Loraden interrupted. "The fact that you came to deal with this yourself tells me a lot about your character. I'm trusting you both to protect my town."

"It doesn't sound like there's much we can do right now," Al said glumly. "You said they come out of the ocean and we can't exactly chase them in there."

"Al's right," Ed said resignedly. "Since we don't know what they want, the best we can do is wait for them to come to us and kill them off a few at a time."

"I suppose I can't ask more than that," Loraden conceded. "If you need any help taking them down, you'll find plenty of volunteers among the townspeople. We actually managed to kill one the other day. Took three men to do it since the metal gives them so much protection."

A cocky grin slipped over Ed's face. "Don't worry, Al and I have been in tight spots before. Our alchemy should be more than a match for--"

He broke off at the sound of a loud horn being blown outside. The noise went on for several long seconds and when it faded Al heard a babble of excited voices from the street below.

"I think we can leave it at that for now," Loraden said with a broad smile. "Half Circle's most honored guests have just arrived!"


	4. Visitors From The Deep

_A.N. Any suggestions for what category to put this in? There's not enough action to be action/adventure and there's basically a little bit of everything the farther you get into it. I'm stumped._

Chapter Four - Visitors From The Deep

"It's really the dolphins?" Al said excitedly as he sped down the stairs after Loraden with Ed close behind.

Loraden glanced over her shoulder with a wide grin. "Around this time of year, volunteers head out on the ocean every day in our fastest boats to keep an eye out for them. Once the boats spot the pod they come straight back to the bay and the crews blow that horn to warn us when they're coming in. Can't let tourists miss our biggest event after all!"

Loraden threw open the doors of her house and led the way at a fast jog. Despite his reluctance back on the train, Ed had to admit that he was curious. What sort of creature was wonderful enough to inspire such anticipation in an entire town? It wasn't like the dolphins did it for Half Circle. They were just following instinct in their migration.

Halfway across the courtyard, Al stopped. Puzzled, Ed skidded to a halt. "What's up, Al? Didn't you say you wanted to see the dolphins?"

"Oh, no I do!" Al said quickly, turning back toward the mansion. "It's just that you forgot your coat…"

Ed spared a moment to examine his coatless state. Without it, he wore only a black tank top, black jeans and his combat boots.

"I don't need it," Ed said decisively, turning his back on Loraden's house. "It's kind of warm anyway."

"Hurry up, you two!" Loraden shouted from down the street and Ed and Al immediately took off after her.

As they jogged down the street, Ed was aware of Al watching him, probably out of puzzlement over his decision to leave his coat behind. Normally, Ed went to enormous lengths to cover his automail on a daily basis with coat, gloves and pants. Ed's main reason for keeping it hidden was the fact that his automail often gave him the upper hand in a fight, literally a trump card hidden up his sleeve. Nor did Ed enjoy the stares, questions and pitying glances the metal limbs brought his way whenever they were exposed. It wasn't like him to just go tearing down the street with his automail arm out in the open for everyone to see.

But this time, Ed thought he could make an exception. Because if the townspeople were going to assume that Al was dangerous because of his armor then Ed might as well let them lump him into the same category. Let the townspeople look on them with distrust and hate if they wanted. At the very least, Al wouldn't be alone.

Luckily, the people around them were far too distracted to pay much heed to a stranger with a metal arm, let alone a suit of armor. Everyone they saw was hurrying in the same direction they were--down toward the docks where the horn blasts were coming in more frequent intervals. Ed and Al followed Loraden until they found themselves on Half Circle's lowest tier with bay right in front of them. Most of the docks were already flooded with people and all eyes were focused on a trio of sailboats entering the bay.

"Can we move closer?" Al asked eagerly.

Ed eyed the docks warily. They _looked_ sturdy, but you never knew.

"Fine, but just a little," Ed warned.

Al didn't seem to hear him after the word 'fine' as he rushed down a few stone steps and strode onto the nearest dock. Ed followed swiftly and stood beside Al halfway to the end of the dock. Several minutes passed while the boats sailed closer. Clouds crossed over the late afternoon sun and the temperature dropped noticeably, making Ed _almost_ wish he had brought his coat after all. Impatient murmurs arose from the multitude of people.

"Where are they?" Al said restlessly.

"I don't know," Ed replied. He took a step closer to the edge of the dock and scanned the bay. There was no sign of anything moving beneath the waves. Weren't dolphins supposed to be a little livelier than that?

A flash of movement caught Ed's eye and he snapped his gaze to the water just below his feet. As he watched, a little patch of gray, glistening skin rose from the waves, in the middle of which lay a single jet-black eye that scrutinized him with uncanny intelligence.

"What the he--?"

Out of nowhere, a huge gray shape erupted from the water behind him and Ed looked up just in time to see a dolphin sail over his head and land on the other side of the dock with an icy splash. Ed jumped back with a surprised yelp when the dolphin's landing sprayed cold water all over his flesh leg.

The townspeople whooped and cheered and, as if the dolphins had been waiting for just that signal, the bay exploded in splashes. Twenty to thirty dolphins made their presence known by leaping from the water in a series of improvised jumps and spins that, to Ed's eyes, looked like they were done for the sheer fun of it. Their high-pitched, joyous cries echoed back from the cliffs, overlapping each other in a deafening cacophony.

"Did you see that?!" Al exclaimed in delight. "Did you see how high he jumped? That was amazing!"

"How does something that big jump that high?" Ed asked incredulously. "And they're jumping from the water too…"

There was another splash and Ed started in surprise, but this time the splash was man-made. A group of young boys had stripped down to their shorts and jumped into the water. Looking across the bay, Ed realized that adults and children alike were emulating them, removing as much clothing as possible before joining the dolphins in the water. The dolphins didn't seem at all perturbed by the intrusion. In fact, they began circling the swimmers and jumping over them, chittering in what Ed could only assume was welcome. One boy latched onto a dorsal fin and let himself be dragged along for a short distance, laughing all the while.

"I have to say," Ed said slowly, letting a grin creep over his face, "out of all the towns we've been to, all the celebrations and customs we've learned about, this has to be one of the _weirdest_ traditions I've _ever_ seen."

"But it's also one of the best!" Al pointed out with a laugh.

A dolphin head poked out of the water directly in front of Al. The dolphin expelled a bit of water from its blowhole then made an odd squeaking noise and bobbed its head up and down. Al knelt down and reached out to touch it.

"Careful, Al," Ed said, nervous at the sight of Al leaning precariously over very deep water.

Al gently stroked the top of the dolphin's head. The dolphin made a satisfied squeak and bobbed its head again. Al giggled then gestured to Ed with his other hand. "Come on, Brother. It won't bite."

Ed cast the dolphin's sharp teeth a thoroughly mistrustful look and knelt down beside Al. When it didn't show any sign of aggression, he gingerly laid his flesh hand on the dolphin beside Al's.

"What do they feel like?" Al murmured.

"Rubbery," Ed said with a grimace. "Rubbery, cold and wet. But also really smooth."

Abruptly, the dolphin ducked down until its snout was submerged. At first, Ed thought it was leaving, but a second later the dolphin lifted its head and spewed water in Ed's face.

"Son of a--!" Ed spluttered, wiping the water off with the collar of his shirt. "That's _beyond_ gross! There's no telling where that thing's mouth has been!"

Al, who had burst into laughter when Ed got drenched, just shook its head hopelessly. "Maybe…maybe it just didn't like being called 'rubbery', Brother…"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Loraden put in, walking up behind them. "They're sensitive creatures on a good day. They live in family groups and make strong connections with each other just like humans do. If a dolphin likes you, it's good luck because dolphins go to great lengths to protect those they care for, whatever their species."

"How long will they stay?" Al inquired.

"A couple weeks, depending on how much food is available," Loraden answered. "They've got their own places outside the bay where they hang around. This is the only time you'll see them all at once like this. Afterwards, they'll only come around the bay a few at a time to say hello."

Loraden fell silent then, watching the antics of the dolphins with crossed arms and a content expression. To Ed, it looked like the brusque, good-natured mayor of Half Circle was gaining a measure of peace from the event, an event Loraden had likely taken part in since childhood. Ed knew the feeling. It was a feeling of _rightness_, of knowing that everything in one's world was exactly as it should be.

He sorely missed that feeling.

"Loraden!"

Ed did a double take. Dorian waved in their direction from the water, his dark hair and beard plastered over his face. He swam over to their dock and used one of the posts to heave himself out of the water. The dolphin squeaked at him and swam off to join the others.

"Have you got the time, Miss Loraden?" Dorian asked, swiping his drenched bangs out of his eyes. "The meeting should be starting soon."

Ed automatically reached for his pocket watch, but his hand grasped only air. "Wha--? Oh, _unbelievable_…my watch is gone!"

"What?" Al said in alarm. "Did you leave it in our room?"

"No, I know I had it!" Ed said furiously. That watch was too important for him to be this careless! On top of being the standard handout for State Alchemists--and therefore an official way to prove their rank--the silver watch also held Ed's own personal reminder that he didn't want anyone else to know about.

Ed stepped further out on the dock in search of it while Al followed suit.

"You don't think it might have dropped in the ocean…" Al began anxiously.

"It better _not_ have!" Ed snapped. "We'll never see that thing again otherwise!"

"It's no problem if it sank in the bay," Loraden called out to them. "We'll have divers look for it later. But you boys need to come to the meeting. The town council is getting together to discuss the rusted brutes and they'll want to talk with the State Alchemist the military sent to help us."

"They won't believe a word I say without that damn watch," Ed said grudgingly.

"Don't worry, we'll find it," Al reassured him, "but that meeting sounds important. We'll just have to come back later."

"I guess," Ed muttered, directing a heated glare out at the water. By now, many of the dolphins had apparently grown bored with their acrobatics and were swimming around lazily. Ed saw the swimmers returning to shore and concluded that the odd welcoming ceremony was drawing to a close. Already, he could see dolphins leaving the bay.

Al touched his shoulder. "Come on, Ed."

"I'm coming," Ed said absently. Al turned to follow Loraden and Dorian back toward the town. After a moment, Ed made to follow them when a flash of silver caught his eye. The watch was hanging off the side of the dock partway in the water. The ring at the end of the chain had caught on an exposed nail, saving it from a watery grave.

"There you are," Ed whispered. He knelt and leaned down to retrieve the watch, but the ring was wedged more tightly than he'd thought.

Ed looked up to call for Al to wait for him when out of nowhere a four-fingered hand shot out of the water and slashed his forearm, leaving four deep cuts. He jerked backward with a shout of pain, the motion pulling his watch free so swiftly that it flew from his hand and bounced onto the dock. The clawed hand seized Ed's left wrist and a massive weight yanked him down until he lay flat on the dock with his whole arm submerged.

The water below him bubbled. A distorted human face rose from beneath the waves and Ed almost threw up at the sight. Its skin was a ghastly blue, almost purple and the lower jaw was completely missing. Dark metal encased its neck so tightly that the veins in its temples were bulging outward.

Ed just had time to hear Al screaming his name before the creature wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him into the water.

Ed gasped in shock when the freezing water enveloped him, knocking most of the breath from his lungs. Instinctively, he thrashed around trying to swim back to the surface, but his automail limbs and the weight around his neck both served to drag him down at an alarming speed. The water pressure increased tremendously as they sank deeper and deeper and just when Ed thought his eyes would pop from his skull the two of them hit the ocean floor with a muffled _thud_.

Ed struggled to break free of the creature's hold, but it seemed very keen on hanging onto him. He threw a punch at what he thought was its face, though it was hard to tell underwater. But the creature's cheek was made of metal and Ed achieved nothing except bruised knuckles.

Clapping quickly, Ed transmuted a blade onto his automail and stabbed at the creature's side. The blade skittered over even more metal plating and the monster wasn't phased in the slightest.

Feeling his lungs begin to ache with the need for air, Ed stabbed out again and again, each thrust more desperate and feeble than the last. It was then that he made the terrifying realization that the thing was taking him toward deeper water, walking along the ocean floor on two fully metal legs. Once more, Ed lashed out and this time he felt the automail blade sink deep into flesh. Blood spurted from the wound, dissipating into the water in a nauseating red cloud. The creature twitched and tipped sideways and the two of them landed on the ocean floor in a limp pile.

_Move!_ Ed screamed at his numb body. _Move, damn it! MOVE!_

Sluggishly, Ed began dragging himself along the ocean floor back toward the dock. But he was moving slowly, far too slowly to reach it in time. The ache in his lungs had become persistent stabs of pain, just as sharp and disabling as the open, salt-filled wounds on his arm. Between the lack of air and the bitterly cold water pressing in from all sides, Ed knew it wouldn't be long before his body succumbed to instinct and passed out. Black spots were already beginning to obscure his vision.

_Why am I being so stupid? _Ed thought faintly. _Alchemy…use alchemy…_

He brought his hands together weakly, but his oxygen-starved brain couldn't seem to supply him with the array he wanted. Ed clenched his jaw and forced the entire situation to the back of his mind, leaving behind a cold clarity that he only ever obtained in life-or-death situations like this.

Perform a transmutation or die. It was as simple as that.

Once more, he clapped and pressed his hands to the ocean floor. Ed wasn't much for geography, but he'd skimmed the subject enough to know that every river flowed to the ocean and that meant the ocean floor was riddled with traces of every element imaginable--an alchemist's treasure trove. His mind was too muddled to go for anything ambitious, so Ed merely drew on the trace metals within the rocks and sand and compressed them all into a simple chain. The chain grew longer and longer until it shot out of the water and fused with one of the posts on the dock.

Hoping the effort wouldn't prove too much for him, Ed began pulling himself along the chain, feeling his automail leg weighing him down heavily. His body rebelled against the exertion and continued screaming at him to _breathe_ while his mind reminded it sternly that breathing _now_ would mean death.

At some point, Ed noticed that he was moving much faster than he should and concluded that someone else was pulling the chain for him. He clung to the chain tightly with his automail hand as his flesh hand had become too weak from the cold to hold its grip. The dock came in sight and within seconds Ed hit the surface with a gasp.

Frantic voices assaulted Ed's ears and he blinked salt water from his eyes to see Al holding the other end of the chain. Al grabbed his arms and hauled him back onto the dock where Ed proceeded to cough up a great deal of water that he didn't remember swallowing. The sudden move from a freezing, soundless world to a slightly warmer and much louder one was disorienting. It took Ed some time to sort out Al's panicked voice from the others, asking again and again whether he was alright.

"I'm--I'm ok--" Ed panted. Hoping that simple statement would be enough, he rolled onto his back so he could more easily suck in the great gulpfuls of air his lungs were craving. Ed's mind was finally clearing enough to understand the other voices around him, some questioning what had happened while others were shouting out the occurrence for everyone to hear.

"Here, put this over him."

Ed squinted up to see Loraden passing a thick wool blanket to Al. Behind her, he saw Dorian pulling himself out of the water with a stormy expression on his face. Wait, that couldn't be right. Ed was sure Dorian had already gotten out of the water before the creature dragged him in.

Ed lost his train of thought when Al wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. He fumbled with it clumsily, pulling it close around him. The cold seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his very bones and he couldn't stop shivering. Ed tried to sit up and almost fell over when a wave of dizziness assaulted him. Al put a steadying hand on his back and Ed leaned against the armor's chest plate gratefully.

Ed winced as the voices around him grew louder, rising in anger. Loraden's harsh voice joined in.

"…automail! It's only automail, you daft fool! Unless you want to start something with me, put those weapons away!"

The sounds pounded viciously against Ed's already aching ears. He shut his eyes tightly against the noise, wishing they would all just go away and let him _sleep_…

He felt himself being lifted up by a pair of armored arms and the last thing he heard before unconsciousness claimed him was Al's voice, calm and reassuring.

"I've got you, Brother…don't worry, you're safe now…"

Ed couldn't have agreed more.


	5. Know Thy Enemy

Chapter Five - Know Thy Enemy

It took some time to escape the crowd, but with Dorian's help Al soon made it back to Loraden's house with Ed safely in his arms. Dorian held open the door for him and Al ascended the stairs quickly toward his and Ed's room, being careful not to jostle his unconscious brother around. Loraden had stayed at the docks to try and get things settled down after the confusion the attack had left in its wake.

When they reached the room, Al carefully laid Ed on one of the beds and unwrapped the damp blanket from his shoulders.

"I'll make something warm for him for him to eat when he wakes up," Dorian said. "Get him in some dry clothes. The temperature of the water here is dangerous to those who aren't used to it and he was under for a good couple of minutes without air."

"He'll be ok, right?" Al asked anxiously.

"Should be," Dorian assured him. "Just keep him warm until he wakes up."

Dorian left then and Al went to the delicate task of getting Ed's wet clothes off. It took some effort since Ed wasn't entirely out and kept trying to squirm away, seemingly unaware of his actions. Ed shivered even more with the loss of the clothes, but Dorian had said earlier that was a good sign since his body was actively trying to warm itself up. Al thought over the difficulties of getting more clothes on him before deciding it was more trouble than it was worth and settled for tucking Ed under the bed's blankets. Ed mumbled something unintelligible and curled up into a ball, pulling the blankets so tightly around him that only his hair and eyes were visible.

Noticing the blood staining the sheets, Al berated himself for not remembering Ed's scratches and retrieved bandages from their suitcase. Ed always complained that it was too much trouble to carry bandages around since they took up space, but Al took it upon himself to make sure they had some at all times. More than once, having bandages on hand had saved Ed from blood loss and worse injury.

Al cringed when he pulled back the blankets and turned Ed's forearm up so the cuts were visible. It didn't look like any vital veins had been sliced open, but the scratches were still bleeding profusely. It didn't take him long to clean the wounds and bind them up. Once that was done, Al watched him for a moment then carefully undid Ed's wet braid. He started to straighten the blankets then stopped himself.

_Stop fussing, _Al told himself sternly. _Just let him rest, there's nothing more you can do._

As a distraction, Al hung Ed's wet clothes up in the bathroom to dry off and set his pocket watch on the nightstand. Left with nothing else to do, Al sat down on the end of the bed, alternately watching Ed and gazing out the window. Even from way up there, he could see groups of people patrolling the docks in case Huskisson's creature tried to come back. Al had to admit that he admired their courage. None of the townspeople seemed to possess real weapons so they made do with fishing nets, harpoons, skinning knives, clubs, whatever they had on hand.

The door opened and Dorian backed in carrying a tray with a large pot and two bowls stacked on top of each other. He set the tray down and began filling the bowls with some kind of soup.

"How's he doing?" Dorian asked quietly.

"Better than before, I think," Al replied. "He's not shivering as much and there's more color in his face."

"Good, good," Dorian muttered. He held out one filled bowl to Al, who shook his head hastily.

"I'm not hungry, thanks."

Dorian shrugged and set the two filled bowls next to the pot on the nightstand. After an uncomfortable pause, he took a seat on the second bed across from Al.

"Is it all right if I apologize?" Dorian asked, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "For earlier today, I mean? I can understand if right now you don't much like this town. You were here for barely two minutes and had everyone jumping down your throats. But we didn't mean any harm…at least not to you or your brother. We're just trying to protect our own."

"I can understand that," Al said quickly. "You don't need to apologize. I'm…kind of used to the reaction my armor gets…"

"Shouldn't be _used_ to it," Ed mumbled.

"Brother, you're awake!" Al exclaimed. It was with great relief that he watched Ed sit up straight, looking a little tired, but no worse for his fall into the bay. Ed started to push back the blankets then, realizing most of his clothes were gone, seemed to think better of it.

"What happened to the brute?" Dorian asked quickly. "Did you kill it?"

Ed's eyes slid down to the blade on his automail and Al realized that his hands, both flesh and metal, were clenched into fists. Ed glanced up, briefly meeting Al's gaze, then sighed and transmuted his automail back to its normal state.

"I had no choice," Ed murmured.

"Then that's one more down out of however many there are," Dorian said with a hint of satisfaction, "and once this story spreads, you can be sure the town will be less hostile toward you. The people here like to pretend they're self-reliant, but in this situation we need all the help we can get, even if it's from a couple weirdoes like you."

"Gee, thanks," Ed said dryly. He started to slump down on the bed until he noticed the bowls of soup on the nightstand. He snatched one up and began wolfing down its contents.

"I just wish we knew what they wanted," Al said softly, more to himself than to Ed or Dorian. He still couldn't quite shake the terror he'd felt when he saw Ed vanish under the waves. Only the knowledge that the water would erase his blood-seal long before he could reach his brother had kept Al from jumping in after him. He had been forced to wait on the dock while Dorian dove down again and again in search of Ed.

"As far as I can see, they don't _want_ anything," Dorian said crossly. "None of their attacks are organized. They don't even seem to work together."

"But they always come here," Ed mumbled around a mouthful of soup. "There haven't been attacks on other towns, not even other coastal ones. And…when I was down there, the one that attacked me wasn't actually trying to hurt me. It just started heading out toward the ocean, dragging me along with it."

"Why would it do that?" Al asked in alarm. "There's nowhere to _go_ out in the ocean…"

Al fell silent at an intense look from Ed. "Al, think about it. Whenever they're not in the town, they always return to the ocean. But what _exactly_ is in the ocean that's familiar enough for them to return to again and again?"

Familiar enough…

Al felt a wave of shock ripple through his hollow body. "Brother, you don't think…not the _lab?!_"

"Huskisson's lab is still down there somewhere," Ed said solemnly. "It's where they came from in the first place and depending on how intact it is--"

"Those things are Huskisson's?!" Dorian demanded suddenly.

"We were there when he made them," Al explained as Ed set down his now empty bowl and started on the second. "We've already told Miss Loraden about it and how the lab sank."

Dorian's expression darkened. "How did she take it?"

If Al could have raised an eyebrow he would have. In any case, Ed managed it for him. "What do you mean?" Ed asked.

Dorian glanced back and forth between the two of them. "I'm guessing she didn't tell you," he said finally. "Her half-brother was one of the workers there. Poor lad only had four fingers on one hand, but he was still a fair hand with a fishing net…"

There was a loud clatter and Al turned to see that Ed had dropped the spoon with a stricken look on his face. Al almost asked him whether he was feeling alright until he saw how tightly Ed was gripping the bowl with his left hand. Then Al remembered the scratches he'd bandaged only minutes ago. Four straight lines with no more than an inch of space between them…

"Speaking of Loraden," Dorian said slowly, his expression growing thoughtful, "if those things are coming from this sunken lab then you might want to have a talk with her father. He's got some kind of underwater boat project in the works so maybe there's a way for him to take you down there."

"Underwater boat?" Ed asked, sounding bemused. "Isn't that like an oxymoron?"

Dorian shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, but the man's a genius mechanic so we--that is, the townspeople--thought that crazy idea of his might actually have a shot and let him retire early. Don't know what you can accomplish if you make it there, but you're the alchemists. It's up to you to be the creative ones."

"No," Ed said with a wry smile, leaning over to pick up his pocket watch. "It's up to us to be the scientific ones."

* * *

Not long after Dorian left, Al watched Ed get dressed with no small amount of disapproval.

"Brother, you really should be _resting_--"

"I'm _fine_, Al," Ed said in exasperation as he pulled on his red coat. "A little walk isn't going to kill me. And if Dorian's right about this underwater boat then the sooner we talk to Loraden's father the better."

"We don't even know where he lives," Al said, knowing he was grasping at straws.

Ed snatched up a small bit of paper from the nightstand triumphantly. "Which is why I asked Dorian for directions when you took the empty bowls down to the kitchen," he said smugly.

And so Al resigned himself to the inevitable. Five minutes later, they left Loraden's house and traversed the empty streets. The sun had nearly set and many of the shops had closed up early in anticipation of a busy day when the sun rose. Ed led the way, muttering the directions to himself as they went, and it didn't take long before they reached the lowest tier and found themselves at a tunnel leading into the cliff on the bay's eastern side.

"He lives underground?" Al asked, eyeing the dark tunnel warily.

Ed shook his head. "Dorian said Loraden's father built his workshop on the coast just outside the bay. This is supposed to be a shortcut."

Sure enough, the tunnel only went for a short distance before it ended and they emerged onto a huge stone ledge positioned a good twenty meters above the water. Looking around, Al realized that they were indeed outside the bay. He could see the entrance to the bay off to the left, but from their position the town itself wasn't visible. Even though Al knew Half Circle was quite literally right around the corner, he was possessed by a sudden feeling of isolation--as if they had been transported miles away from civilization and stood alone on the very edge of the world.

"There it is," Ed said, pointing straight at the cliff.

Al looked in the direction Ed indicated and was startled to see a metal door in the cliff, looking completely out of place. He glanced up and realized that there were windows above and around the door. This must be the workshop, carved directly into the cliff to save space. Ed wasted no time marching up and banging on the door.

Several minutes passed. The wind picked up a little, whipping Ed's coat around, and he cursed and pounded the door again.

"Maybe he's not home?" Al suggested, peering up at the windows. There were no lights in the workshop and no sounds from inside.

"Where else would he be?" Ed said grumpily.

A harsh _clang!_ echoed from somewhere nearby. Ed and Al both turned to search for the source and Al pointed out a flight of stone stairs neither of them had noticed before. The stairs took them all the way down to the water where a single dock extended far into the ocean. Two boats were tied up on one side and floating on the other side was…

"What the hell is _that?_" Ed demanded.

Al was having a hard time figuring it out himself. It floated like a boat, but its shape resembled nothing more than a large metal tube with a short tower on top. It had to be hollow in order to stay floating like that, but even so there would only be room for a few people inside.

Another clanging sound came from within the…_vessel,_ Al decided was the proper word. Ed and Al stepped onto the dock and approached cautiously as the noise was followed by a string of curses and faint mutterings.

"…add an extra ballast tank? Definitely make it sink faster, but if the hull can't withstand it…idiot may have been right, but I'll be damned if I take this piece of crap apart and start over…"

"Uh, hello?" Ed called uncertainly. "We're looking for Loraden's father."

"You're talking to him," the voice answered irritably, "and the name's Lorence since apparently no one's bothered to tell you. But I'm busy right now! Can't whatever your business is wait until tomorrow?"

"We'd just like to ask you a few questions," Al said, "about your, um…underwater boat?"

"Underwater boat?!" came the affronted reply. "She's a _submarine,_ thank you very much! Underwater boat makes her sound like something from a fantasy story…"

"Then it really works?" Ed asked dubiously, casting the submarine a critical gaze.

A hatch at the top of the submarine's tower swung open and the upper half of Lorence's body made an appearance. He looked almost exactly the same as the man Al had seen in the portrait in Loraden's house, except for a few gray streaks in his red beard.

"Well, of _course_ she works!" Lorence snapped. "I wouldn't still be toiling over her if she _didn't_ work, now would I? Are you going to keep pestering me with stupid questions or are you actually here for a purpose?"

"Actually, we kind of need to borrow it," Ed said bluntly.

"Borrow, huh?" Lorence repeated, studiously wiping his hands on a dirty rag. "Let me ask you something…do you know a thing about submarines? Ever driven one, worked on one? Even seen one before today?"

Lorence flung the rag aside with a disgusted huff. "The answer is_ no_, which is also the answer to your first question. This is my invention and prototypes aren't something I generally hand off to ignorant youngsters for a jaunt under the waves!"

Ed's eyes flashed dangerously and Al recognized the infuriated look his brother always got when someone didn't take him seriously. On the very long list of things Ed couldn't stand, being called 'ignorant' because of his age was just a step down from being called 'short' because of his height.

"Look, we're not asking for ourselves," Ed retorted hotly. "I'm a State Alchemist! We're here to stop the attacks on Half Circle and we need your submarine to do it!"

Lorence, who had glanced up sharply at the words 'State Alchemist', studied the two of them with an unreadable expression. "Well," he said slowly, "that changes everything. I'll be right back."

Lorence disappeared back into the submarine and Ed made a triumphant gesture in Al's direction. Personally, Al was a little surprised Lorence had given in so easily. It wasn't every day that someone was quite so understanding when Ed revealed his status as a State Alchemist.

Lorence once again appeared from the submarine's tower and, before either Ed or Al could react, he cocked a handgun and aimed it in their direction.

"Off my dock, both of you!" Lorence roared.

Instinctively, Al put his hands in the air and out of the corner of his eye he saw Ed do the same. But where Al stepped back intending to show that they meant no harm, Ed stepped forward looking furious.

"What's the big idea?" Ed bellowed. "We're not looking for a fight! We just want to help the town!"

"Uh huh, and then you'll drag off my sub to the military for a nice comfy promotion!" Lorence snarled. "The last thing I need is for my invention to start killing people, so why don't you just leave me be and go back to licking your commanding officer's boots like the dog you are!"

"First off," Ed snapped, "my commanding officer is an ass and the only dog licking his boots belongs to his trigger-happy lieutenant. Secondly, I _told_ you we just need your submarine to get at the metal creatures! That's it! I don't care what you do with it after that because we don't want it!"

"And I'm supposed to believe_ you?_" Lorence spat.

Ed fell silent, though from the tension in his face Al could he was biting back some harsh retorts. But Al was very glad he was at least trying to hold back his temper because of the gun. Al hated guns--loathed them, even--because they served no _purpose_. Unlike alchemy, which could be used in many different ways, a gun's inherent nature could not be changed. They existed only to kill. Even now, knowing that the gun couldn't harm his armored body, Al couldn't fully dispel his fear of it.

A fear that only grew when Ed took another cautious step forward, closer to Lorence and the gun. Determined to keep his older, but mortal, brother out of danger--and knowing that Ed would never purposely take cover behind him--Al stepped forward and placed himself between Ed and Lorence.

"Al," Ed said, sounding taken aback, "what are you--?"

"Will you believe me then?" Al asked Lorence calmly. "I'm not a State Alchemist, but I still came because I want to help my brother protect this town. I don't want the military to grow in power any more than you do."

For a moment, Al thought Lorence would ignore him outright. Instead, the mechanic lowered the gun with a thoughtful expression.

"I'm guessing you're the diplomat of the pair, eh?" Lorence said with a hint of amusement. "I don't see that silver watch on you, which also makes you the smarter one. I suppose I'll give _you_ a chance."

Ed poked his head out from behind Al. "Does this mean you'll let us borrow your submarine?"

"Hell _no!_"

And with that Lorence vanished back into the vessel.

"Oh, come _on!_" Ed yelled in frustration and, to Al's dismay, he leapt onto the submarine. Keeping his arms spread for balance, Ed tottered over to the tower and placed his hands on either side of the open hatch while he peered inside.

"Those creatures are hiding out in the ocean!" Ed exclaimed. "How else are we supposed to get to them?"

"Use a boat, dumbass!" Lorence shouted. His answer was followed by a series of bangs that indicated Lorence had gone back to whatever he was working on before they arrived.

"But they're underwater!" Al explained. "We think they're still using Huskisson's sunken lab and your submarine is the only way for us to get to it!"

The bangs stopped abruptly. After a moment, Ed backed up from the hatch as Lorence reappeared with a furrowed brow.

"Back up a bit," Lorence said quietly. "The rusted brutes are staying in _what?_"

"Huskisson's lab," Al answered. "He's the one who made them in the first place."

"Made them how?" Lorence asked sharply, gripping the edges of the open hatch tightly.

"Are you going to help us or not?" Ed asked impatiently.

Slowly, Lorence hoisted himself out of the tower and leaned against it, looking back and forth between Ed's determined expression and Al's somber red eyes. "You two never got around to telling me your names," Lorence said finally.

Ed jerked a thumb at himself and Al. "Ed Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. That's my younger brother, Al."

Lorence raised an eyebrow. "So you're the Hero of the People everyone's been talking about? This town doesn't get much in the way of news, but we've all heard of you…"

Ed grinned at the mention of his second title.

"…and how wherever you go you leave behind prosperity and destruction and plenty of each."

Al snickered at the semi-true statement then struggled to control himself when Ed cast him an indignant glare. Lorence stroked his beard while he looked them over and Al thought he saw a tiny smile.

"Well," Lorence said eventually, "I do like people who know how to get things done. I suppose as long as I'm operating the sub you two could hitch a ride to that sunken lab you're bent on getting to. But I'm not doing this for you, got that? It's a favor for Loraden, nothing more."

"Thank you so much!" Al exclaimed in relief.

"So when can we go?" Ed asked, sounding excited.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Lorence said promptly. "The sub will be ready then."

"I thought you said it was working!" Ed said in dismay.

"She _is_ working!" Lorence snapped defensively. "Just…you know, not as well as I'd like…"

Lorence pulled himself up to the hatch and dropped back inside. From within, he called, "Now get off my sub before those damn boots of yours scratch the hull!"

Ed huffed in irritation and hopped back onto the dock, stumbling a bit from the jump. Al trailed after him as they began the long walk back up the stone stairs.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Al said optimistically after they were out of earshot. "At least we'll be able to use the submarine."

"The question is what will we do once we get there?" Ed asked as they reached the platform and passed the door of the workshop. "Even if we reach the lab, we won't be able to leave the submarine."

They entered the tunnel and Al's voice echoed in the darkness. "Maybe once we get there we'll find out more about them and be able to fight them better on the land. We still don't know why the one that attacked you acted the way it did."

"…yeah," Ed muttered halfheartedly.

Emerging from the tunnel, Al saw that the sun had fully set. Half Circle looked much more peaceful in the dim twilight. With only the street lamps and the lights from the houses to light it, the town resembled one gigantic chandelier resting directly above the bay's dark waters.

Al expected them to start heading for Loraden's house, but instead Ed took a few steps forward and leaned against the low stone wall meant to protect people on the lowest tier from falling into the bay. Al stopped next to him and followed his gaze until he saw the dock where Ed's alchemized chain lay coiled up, one end still attached to the wooden post. Noticing Ed's melancholic expression, Al suddenly had an idea of what was on his brother's mind.

Sure enough…

"I killed Loraden's brother," Ed whispered, keeping his eyes fixed on the chain that saved his life.

_No, you didn't_, Al thought. But such a simple statement, however true, wouldn't convince Ed, so Al took a moment to work out what he wanted to say before he spoke.

"You didn't kill him, Brother," Al said simply. "You've never even met him. Loraden's brother died long before we ever came to Huskisson's lab. There's nothing we could have done to help him, not then and not now."

Ed shifted his weight between his mismatched feet, still not meeting Al's gaze. Al laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and Ed stilled.

"I panicked down there," Ed admitted quietly. "I'm sure there was another way for me to handle what happened, but in the end I keep coming back to the fact that we'll eventually have to kill them anyway. It's just…hard I guess. Knowing where they came from, meeting the people who knew them when they were still alive…it's hard not to see them as human beings."

Ed shook his head with a rueful smirk. "Some State Alchemist I am."

But Al heard the real message.

_Some big brother I am…some example I am to you…_

Al's hand tightened on Ed's shoulder and if he'd had eyes he knew they would be filling with tears. Al admired everything about his brother. He especially admired how selfless Ed could be toward other people, even strangers. But time and again, that same altruism would bring down a crushing guilt on Ed's shoulders for his mistakes, real or perceived.

And although Ed wouldn't let his little brother share the burden, there were times when Al knew it was his words, his forgiveness alone that could put an end the vicious cycle of doubt and self-hate.

"I feel sorry for them, too," Al said softly, "but between you and him…I'm glad it was you holding the other end of the chain."

And that was all it took, that simple reassurance that spoke volumes between them.

_I don't blame you, so please don't blame yourself…I still look up to you, still love you…_

…_I'm glad you're still here._

Ed raised his head a little, sparing one last glance out toward the chain before finally looking up. And Al's nonexistent heart soared when he saw a small smile tugging at the corner's of Ed's mouth.

"Same here, Al."


	6. Shattered Revelry

Chapter Six - Shattered Revelry

"Brother, wake up! Come on, the festival's started!"

_And I care, why? _Ed thought. The blankets keeping him warm vanished suddenly and Ed curled in on himself as the early morning air chilled his skin. Al shook him vigorously, making it that much harder to feign sleep.

"_Brotheerrrr!_" Al whined.

"Whaaat?" Ed croaked. "It's the freaking crack of dawn!"

"Well, that's when they started the festival!" Al explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They set off fireworks a few minutes ago and now there are tons of people in the streets and down on the docks. I think there's going to be some kind of swimming contest down there!"

"Crazy fish people," Ed mumbled. He sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, watching Al hover between the window and his bed with a mixture of irritation and affection.

"Brother, you _promised_ we could go take a look if we had time!" Al said accusingly.

There was no denying that. But even knowing he had brought this on himself, Ed decided to at least put up a show of protest. He crossed his arms and glared at his little brother.

"Couldn't this have waited a few more hours until I was actually awake?" Ed grumbled and was surprised when Al suddenly came over and clasped his hands in a pleading gesture.

"I know it's early," Al said feverishly, "but I was just so excited! And everyone else is already up and…Brother, _please_ can we go?"

And Ed wilted, unable as always to resist that particular tone of voice--a kind of painful hope that only little brothers were capable of. After all, in the end Al was still just a kid who spent far too little time out having fun with other kids his age. It slipped Ed's mind sometimes that there were still some things, like this festival, that Al could take part in.

And between the grim work still ahead of them and the knowledge of how long the nights were for Al already, would it really be fair to make him wait those few extra hours while Ed got a little more sleep?

"Al…"

Al stiffened, the armor practically quivering with anticipation.

"…toss me my coat."

* * *

A whistle went off and the swimmers lined up on the dock dove smoothly under the waves. Cheers arose from the observers and shouts went out to friends and family members competing in the race across the bay. Ed shivered just watching the swimmers and was very glad to see a group of people waiting for them at the finish line armed with blankets and warm drinks.

"Crazy," Ed muttered, "every single one of them."

"I think 'dedicated' is the word you're looking for," Loraden said with a hearty laugh. "They practice all year for this."

"You couldn't pay me to do something like that!" Ed exclaimed.

The swimmers reached the other side of the bay and the crowd roared its approval for the winners. Some began dispersing while others stayed in place to await the next race.

"So my father is really going to let you use his submarine?" Loraden asked for the fifth time, her tone no less disbelieving than the first.

Ed gave a dry chuckle. "Well, it took a little convincing. He was pretty adamant about us not even touching the thing. But he said he would give us a ride out to the lab as a favor for you."

Loraden pondered that in silence. "What do you expect to find out there?" she asked.

"Not sure," Ed said with a shrug. "At the most, I'm hoping to see how intact Huskisson's lab is. Could be that we'll find something to help us kill those monsters. We might even be able to confront them while we're out there."

Loraden nodded curtly. "Well, until you head out there make sure you have some fun at our festival. Where'd your brother go, by the way?"

Ed glanced around and huffed in exasperation when he couldn't find Al in the crowd. Despite Dorian's promise that the townspeople would be friendlier toward them, Ed wasn't entirely reassured.

"I'd better go find him," Ed muttered, turning his back on the bay.

Behind him, he heard Loraden call, "Make sure you buy something! Preferably something expensive!"

Unable to locate Al on the nearby streets, Ed climbed a flight of stairs to the next level of the city. Lavishly-decorated booths had claimed every nook and cranny of the city and the crowds they attracted made moving around difficult without being jostled every which way. Ed finally spotted Al near one of the booths and surrounded by a crowd of gawking children.

"If you're not one of the monsters, why are you wearing metal?" one girl inquired curiously.

"To protect myself from the real monsters," Al responded instantly. "That's what armor is for, after all."

Ed crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of a building, listening in with a small smile. Usually, Al tried his best to deflect questions about his armor, but with young children he actually seemed to encourage them. Perhaps because kids were far more open to anything strange or different, which made it so very easy for them to accept Al as he was now.

"I want armor!" one boy exclaimed. "Then I can fight all the monsters off myself!"

"I'm sure you could, Aaron," Al said in good humor, "but maybe you should let my brother and I do the actual fighting."

"Does your brother wear armor too?"

"He doesn't need it," Al answered.

"Why not?"

"Um…because he's a much better fighter than me."

Ed snorted and sincerely hoped those children never got the chance to watch them spar. It would be fairly obvious who the better fighter was then.

One of the children captured Al's hand in both her own and swung it back and forth. "Come play with us, Al!"

The rest of the pack chimed in their agreement. Al hesitated then looked up and caught Ed's eye. Though he couldn't see it, Ed still sensed Al's wide-eyed expression, his silent query of, _Can I, Brother? _

Ed waved him off in a clear dismissal and Al's elated smile shone through his eyes as he let himself be hauled down the street with a child dangling from each hand.

…leaving Ed with absolutely nothing to do. Despite the merry surroundings, Ed wasn't sure he could unwind enough to truly enjoy the festival. Looking around at the shops nearby, Loraden's words to 'buy something expensive' came back to him and Ed set off down the street with the vague idea of finding a gift for Winry. That machine junkie never got tired of souvenirs and shopping would kill some time until he and Al had to meet with Lorence.

Two hours of aimless wandering later, Ed was footsore and could feel a headache coming on from the noise level. Every street was packed, which made casual shopping more like a chore. He had made his way up the levels of the city, searching through what must have been hundreds of booths and shops, and nothing had jumped out at him as a good gift. Winry was the type who would want something _useful_, something she would see and handle every day. Unfortunately, festivals like this tended to be chock full of frivolous items to be admired for a day then shut away in a closet somewhere.

_Maybe I should just give up, _Ed thought gloomily as he slipped inside yet another shop in an effort to escape the crowd. He didn't notice what shop he was in until he felt a tap on the shoulder and turned to find himself nose to nose with Dorian.

"Here to buy something, I hope," Dorian said shortly, "though you don't look like the type to need a basket."

Ed took a look around the little store, noticing its merchandise for the first time. Every shelf was stocked full of baskets, each of them unique in size, shape and the materials they were made from. It was obvious, both from their make and from the prices, that the creator put a lot of thought into his product. Even now, Ed spotted a group of young women tracing their fingers over the more expensive pieces with admiration in their eyes.

"You made all these yourself?" Ed asked, impressed.

"Most," Dorian replied, taking a place behind the counter near the front. "I've got a few apprentices…their works are in that bargain bin over there. This is a family business, something that was passed down to me. I get some grief from the young men in town about this being a woman's art, but I say the hell with them. Who doesn't need a good basket for all their little knickknacks?"

"I have a friend like that," Ed said with an introspective smile. "She builds automail with her grandma. When she was younger, she spent her spare time beating up on anyone who dared to tell her that girls were too weak to be mechanics."

"I see," Dorian said with an oddly knowing expression. "You'll be looking for a gift for her, then?"

"What?!" Ed spluttered, feeling his face flush. "I never said--!"

Dorian chuckled and leaned on the counter. "You don't need to _say_ it. When something's there, everyone sees it whether you like it or not."

"W-Well, you're one to talk!" Ed shot back. "Getting all flustered when Loraden complimented your baskets…"

To Ed's satisfaction, Dorian's cheeks darkened to an incriminating crimson. He glared murderously at Ed for a moment then spun around and busied himself with arranging and rearranging a display, grumbling under his breath.

"Dunno what you mean…just good friends, that's all…not like she'd see me in _that_ way…"

Still smirking lightly, Ed returned his attention to his surroundings. Would Winry like one of these baskets? Decorative as they were, they _did_ have a function.

A glint of reflected light off to the side caught Ed's attention. He spied the source on a shelf running along the wall behind the counter where a cluster of baskets had made their home. Was it his imagination or were they…?

Ed walked around the counter and picked up a small basket, examining it closely. The basket was constructed of _metal_. Tiny strips of shiny metal, no thicker than a bit of thread, were all interlaced together just like a wicker basket. Pure white pearls were woven throughout, gleaming beautifully in the light. The inside of the basket was lined with a white cloth, presumably to protect its contents from the metal or vice versa.

"What's this made of?" Ed asked, holding the basket up. Before he could blink, Dorian snatched the basket away and set it back in its place.

"You picked an expensive one," Dorian said. "That one's made of almost pure silver. Took me forever to pound it all out into thread and put it together. I even had to call in our town's only metalworker to help and I'm not even sure it was worth the work. No one in this town has the money to afford it and silver needs to be taken care of or else it'll tarnish."

Ed wavered, put off by the rather impressive figure on the price tag, then made his decision. Whether she used it or not, he was certain Winry would have made him buy the damn thing just so she could stare at the workmanship.

"I'm not from this town," Ed said, reaching for his wallet, "and would you trust an automail mechanic to take care of it? I know I would."

Dorian's gaze went from the basket to Ed, who did his best to look absolutely serious and not in the least bit perturbed by the price. Dorian removed the basket from the shelf and set it on the counter, keeping one hand on it possessively.

"Show me your money first," Dorian ordered.

Ed counted out the money slowly and set it on the counter. Dorian whistled.

"Either you're just that rich and just that careless," Dorian said, scooping up the money, "or she's one _very_ special friend."

Ed pulled his sleeve back a bit, just enough to reveal an automail wrist. "How many friends go out of their way help an idiot who's dumb enough to lose two limbs in one go?" he asked ruefully.

"Fair enough," Dorian remarked. He wrapped up the basket with care and handed the package over to Ed, who tucked it under his arm. Ed started for the door then stopped when he caught sight of a framed photograph on the counter. Two teenagers and one younger boy grinned and waved at the camera from a sailboat. The teenagers were instantly recognizable as Loraden and Dorian. The boy didn't look familiar, but the hand with a missing finger did.

"Did you know Loraden's brother well?" Ed asked quietly.

Dorian glanced over with a raised eyebrow and his expression saddened when he saw what Ed was looking at. "Yeah…he was a good kid. Why do you ask?"

"I, um," Ed faltered, "I think I saw him. His body, I mean, when me and Al were at Huskisson's lab. I guess…since I never knew him, I just wondered what he was like when he was alive."

Dorian lifted up the picture and examined it, leaning back against the counter with a heavy sigh. "His name was Harris. He was a lot like Loraden, I suppose. I don't think he was capable of seeing the bad in anyone, especially not someone he cared about. Their mother…"

Dorian paused, his jaw growing tense with anger. "I shouldn't be telling this to you," he said slowly, "but their mother wasn't the most honest of creatures. She abandoned Loraden and her father for some stranger. Harris was born out of wedlock and got dumped on Lorence as well before the little harpy ran off. Harris had a hard time fitting in at first, but Loraden loved that kid. She was more like a mother to him than an older sister."

_Just like me and Al_, Ed thought. He and Loraden were more alike than he ever could have predicted--both forced at a young age to be half sibling, half parental figure to their younger brothers. Ed just didn't _get_ why that happened. Parents were supposed to stay with their kids, not vanish into thin air like they never existed.

"He should have never gone out there," Dorian said softly. He set the picture back on the counter, but his hand lingered over it. "He didn't deserve to die at such a young age. None of them did."

Without warning, the door of Dorian's shop burst open. Ed looked up in surprise as a young girl stumbled in, recognizing her as one of the girls that had been with Al earlier.

"Uncle Doriaaaan!" she wailed and, without further ado, rushed over to Dorian and threw her arms around his waist.

"Rayne, what's wrong?" Dorian asked in alarm.

Rayne shivered and mumbled something into his stomach. "M-m-m…"

"What?" Dorian demanded. "Come on, say something!"

"_Monsters!_" Rayne sobbed. "_Tons_ of them! They're climbing up the docks!"

"Shit," Ed hissed. Huskisson's creatures were attacking now of all times! Ed started for the door then froze when a thought hit him and came back to Rayne. "Is Al ok?" he asked anxiously.

Rayne looked up at him, still sniffling sadly. "I dunno…he just told us to run, but he didn't come with us…"

Ed nodded. Of course, Al would have stayed to fight them. He gave Rayne a pat on the head and an encouraging smile. "Don't worry," Ed reassured her. "I'll go help him."

The package under Ed's arm vanished and he looked just in time to see Dorian locking it in a cabinet. Dorian scooped up Rayne and gave Ed an apologetic shrug. "Can't have you begging for a refund if it gets destroyed. Go help your brother. I've got to take Rayne home."

"You're Al's brother?" Rayne blurted out, her eyes widening in awe.

Ed grinned and took off for the door. "The one and only!"

Outside the shop, the carefree atmosphere was gone from the crowd as news of the attack spread like wildfire. Already, parents were rounding up the young children to take to safety while others grabbed the nearest item that could be used as a weapon and raced for the bay. Ed joined the latter, sprinting down the streets until he arrived at a ledge that gave him a good view of the bay.

True to Rayne's word, he could see the creatures scampering onto the docks. Some had already made it as far as the street. Ed did a fast headcount. Six--eleven--fifteen--twenty-one of them! Whatever they were after, they were done seeking it in small numbers.

Fearless shouts came from right below Ed and he saw the first wave of defenders rushing out to meet the creatures, weapons held high. Ed nearly called them back, but stopped himself. They had every right to defend their home. A flash of light off to the side caught Ed's attention and he saw Al creating stone walls to close off the streets nearest the docks. Smart move. Keeping them in one place would make it easier to take them down.

Ed left the ledge and dashed down the street, arriving at the water level in seconds. He jumped onto the nearest dock, clapping as he went to transmute a blade on his automail. Three of Huskisson's creations saw him and immediately charged with guttural roars. Their metal appendages contrasted harshly with the rotted flesh of their bodies. There was nothing remotely human about them.

Ed met them halfway. A swift, well-aimed stab in the chest brought down the first creature quickly. It dropped to the dock and rolled into the water. The second grabbed his flesh arm and Ed raised his automail just in time to block a corroded metal fist from breaking his nose. Sparks flew when the metal limbs collided. Ed kicked out hard with his automail foot and caught the creature in the leg, sending it down to its knees. One swipe to the back of its neck was all it took to sever the spinal cord and then it, too, was down.

Before he could turn to meet the last one, a metal arm wrapped around Ed's neck from behind and jerked him back. Ed tried to elbow the creature in the side and ended up smacking his elbow against metal plating hard enough to make his entire arm go numb.

"Daddy?"

The arm around Ed's neck disappeared and he dropped to the dock, rubbing his bruised neck. Through blurry vision, he saw a pale boy standing nearby, staring at Huskisson's creature with a fragile expression. With a start, Ed recognized the boy's face, one that mere hours ago was filled with bold confidence.

_I want armor! Then I can fight all the monsters myself!_

_I'm sure you could, Aaron…_

"Run…" Ed wheezed, "…run, you idiot…"

Aaron stood stock-still as the monster staggered toward him. The small club he held fell from his hands and rolled across the planks of the dock into the water, out of reach.

"Dad?" Aaron choked.

Ed pushed himself to his feet and leapt at the creature's back, but it spun around and backhanded him hard enough to send him flying. The monster turned back to Aaron, who took an uncertain step back.

"_Sssson…come…_"

"Run!" Ed roared. "That's not your father! Run _now!_"

Aaron blanched and turned to flee then shrieked when the creature lunged forward and wrapped its arms around him. Without a backwards glance, the monster stepped off the dock and vanished under the waves with the boy in his arms.

"_NO!_" Ed screamed, smashing his fist into the dock. He couldn't go after them. Ed's heart throbbed in agony with that single, sobering fact. He couldn't swim with his automail and, much as he longed to, he couldn't make a suicide dive down for Aaron's sake. Al needed him to stay alive.

Ed forced himself to stand so he could go back to the fight then stopped. Not three feet away lay the chain he had transmuted yesterday. A light bulb went off. Ed yanked off his coat and rolled up his left pant leg. Seconds later he had used alchemy to fuse the chain to his automail ankle. Hopefully, if he lost consciousness before he could get back to the surface someone would have the insight to pull the chain up.

Before he could get the chance to second guess himself, Ed sucked in a deep breath and dove into the water.


	7. To Save A Life

Chapter Seven - To Save A Life

Al twisted around and caught one of the Huskisson's creatures in the stomach, hard. So hard that it soared across the street and tumbled straight back into the bay. Al barely had time to react before three more threw themselves at him. He lashed out right and left, holding absolutely nothing back and they fell quickly beneath his onslaught. The other townspeople who had joined in the fight let him have all the room he needed, but they were no less fierce in their attacks. Nearly half of the monsters had been killed or wounded so badly that they were forced to retreat back to the bay.

He was lucky, Al thought, that Huskisson's creations had recognized him as the real threat and as a result were focusing their attacks on him. Their caution was keeping the casualties to a minimum. Already, three of the townspeople had been knocked out cold after being thwacked in the head by a metal limb and five others had broken bones. They had been pulled to safety by their comrades while Al helped hold the monsters off. It was only through sheer luck that no one had been killed yet and Al didn't plan to let that happen anytime soon.

Al broke free of the fray and drew a quick circle on the nearest wall. Stones the size of his armored fist shot from the wall and rained down on a group of the creatures, stunning them. Townspeople armed with makeshift weapons immediately closed in on them and finished them off. Al turned away from the group and scanned the bay. Where had the rest of them gone? He knew there had been more…

A terrified scream caught Al's attention. Down the street, he spotted four of Huskisson's creatures emerging from another street, each one dragging an ordinary person with them. Realizing their destination, Al felt panic seize him.

"Stop them!" Al shouted, pointing toward them. "They're taking them to the bay!"

Everyone around him looked up and, when they saw what he was pointing at, charged the monsters with howls of rage. Al ran with them, desperate to save the people, but two of the monsters made it to the bay and dove in with their captives before he could stop them. Al put on an extra burst of speed and pulled a woman from the last creature's grasp. He carried her away from the fight and helped her sit down against a wall. Some of the fighters that had come with him abandoned their weapons and dove into the water after the others.

"Are you ok?" Al asked anxiously.

The woman shook her head, blonde hair flicking back and forth. She looked ready to pass out. "Tom," she murmured. "It…he…said he was…my husband…"

Al faltered, glancing back at the creature. Five townspeople had it surrounded and were beating it mercilessly. Despite that, the monster crawled across the street and dropped into the water. The woman cried out when it vanished and tried to get up, but Al put a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your husband," he said quietly.

"How would you know?!" she snapped, still watching the bay hungrily.

"Would your husband have tried to kidnap you?" Al asked solemnly. Seeing bruises all over her arms, he added, "Would he have hurt you like that thing did?"

The woman shuddered and hugged herself tightly, slumping against the wall. Splashes from the bay made Al look up and he couldn't help cheering along with the rest when he saw that the captives had returned to the surface, swimming to shore with their saviors close behind. There was no sign of any more of Huskisson's creatures.

Al helped the sobbing woman to her feet and looked back out at the gathering crowd. Townspeople who had only just arrived listened raptly as the actual fighters described the battle, still flushed with their victory. Already, there was talk of a celebration for fending off the monsters while others inquired fretfully after friends and family that had been hurt in the fray. Al's gaze swept back and forth over the multitude of people, trying and failing to find the one person he expected to be there.

An inexplicable dread took hold of Al suddenly. Ed should have been there already, should have been the very _first_ to arrive. There was no chance he hadn't heard of the attack. The whole town was buzzing with the news.

"Has anyone seen my brother?" Al called.

"I saw him!" someone replied. "He was fighting some of the brutes on that dock over there!"

Dread turned to horror as Al turned and spotted something red lying motionless on the dock.

"_Ed!_" Al cried. He took off running, nearly bowling people over in his haste to get to the dock, sprinting toward that patch of red. Why wasn't Ed moving? What if he was hurt, unconscious, _dead?!_

At long last, Al reached the coat…and found nothing underneath. Ed was gone. The memory of a metal arm yanking Ed underwater raced through Al's mind, fresh and terrifying. What if…?

"Brother…" Al choked, as if that single word could magically pull Ed from the still, deep waters.

"Look!"

Out in the bay, there was a flash of light far below the surface. The water bubbled violently and seconds later a huge patch of ice erupted from the surface. It bobbed precariously before it stabilized and one of the two figures lying on it sat up. Sunlight reflected brightly off a metal arm.

"It's one of them!" someone screamed.

"It's not!" Al bellowed, recognizing a patch of blonde hair. "It's just automail!"

Ed clapped his hands and performed a quick transmutation. "Al, pull the chain in!" Ed bellowed. "_Hurry!_"

Chain? Al scanned around uncomprehendingly until he realized that the chain Ed had created was in the water. He grabbed it and pulled until it grew taut. The rest of the chain came into view and Al saw that the other end was transmuted to the ice. Al reeled it in as quickly as he could. Once the ice platform came close enough, Al recognized the second prone figure as Aaron, one of the children he had played with earlier. His eyes were closed and he was utterly pale, completely oblivious to Ed's frantic shouts in his ear.

The ice bumped against the dock and dozens of hands reached past Al for the two boys. Ed handed Aaron off and scrambled up onto the dock after them. Remembering Dorian's warning about the cold water, Al snatched up Ed's coat and threw it over his brother's shoulders. Ed barely registered it was there, showing far more concern for the child laid out on the dock.

"He was under for too long," Ed hissed through gritted teeth. "The damn thing wouldn't let him go."

Loraden emerged from the crowd. As soon as she saw the boy, she shoved her way forward, ordering everyone out of her way. The crowd backed off and Loraden knelt down and placed her ear next to Aaron's mouth. Her forehead creased in worry and Al took that to mean he wasn't breathing. The mayor pressed her mouth over Aaron's and breathed for him steadily, pausing every so often to pump his chest. Al recognized the technique. Mouth-to-mouth breathing for drowning victims. There was still hope.

But that hope began to flag as the minutes dragged on and on. Loraden remained utterly focused on her task, never making eye contact with anyone else. At the five minute mark, scattered sobs could be heard from the silent crowd. Al watched Aaron intently, searching for signs of life that would mean the fight wasn't over.

"Come on," Ed breathed. "Come on, please…"

Ten minutes…fifteen…

Loraden stopped. She placed her hands flat on the dock, keeping her head bowed down.

"Someone find the boy's mother," Loraden murmured.

A wave of sorrow seemed to sweep through the crowd like the lightest breath of wind. Some who had been holding back their tears finally broke down, turning to their friends for comfort. Al longed to cry with them. He was only a _child_, no older than Al had been when he and Ed lost their own mother.

Ed spun on his heel and marched away from the crowd. Al followed quickly as Ed staggered off the dock and up the steps to the street where he leaned heavily against the side of a building, hiding his face from the world. His shoulders shuddered violently, rebelling against the tears and grief that Al desperately wished Ed didn't feel the need to hold in. He wanted to console Ed, to tell him that he wasn't at fault, but no words would come.

"Al…"

Al started at his name, spoken in a much harsher version of his brother's voice. Ed pushed himself away from the wall and stood straight then turned around. Al caught the briefest flash of heartache in Ed's eyes before it vanished, swallowed by a smoldering rage. It didn't take much to piss Ed off, but there were very few things in this world that could send Al's brother into a truly righteous fury like this.

"…now's our best chance to follow them."

Ed didn't bother to wait for an answer before he took off running and Al raced to catch up. Huskisson's creatures had made a fatal mistake. With Aaron's death weighing on his mind, Ed would be unstoppable. All Al could do was shadow his footsteps and make sure his brother survived to mourn properly.

Al kept right on Ed's heels as they sprinted around the bay to the tunnel that led to Lorence's workshop. Neither of them slowed down as they shot through the tunnel and past the workshop to the staircase leading down to the mechanic's dock. The boats and submarine were still there and Lorence himself was sitting cross-legged on the dock scanning what looked like a set of blueprints.

Lorence scowled as Ed and Al stampeded onto the dock and stood up. "Didn't I tell you it wouldn't be ready until later? I've still got to do a practice run to make sure it's all going smoothly--"

Ed jumped onto the submarine without a word and yanked open the hatch on the tower.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lorence roared, flinging the blueprints aside.

"Huskisson's creatures just attacked the town," Al explained quickly. "They killed someone."

Lorence gaped at him in astonishment. Then his expression darkened. "Then it's time to settle things. That's the last time they're setting foot in this town!"

"Let's _go!_" Ed demanded and dropped into the submarine.

"Don't touch anything in there!" Lorence snapped and he, too, vaulted onto the submarine and pulled himself into the hatch.

Al eyed the space between the submarine and the dock uneasily. Even easy jumps like this could be blundered and one little slipup could mean his death, which made the gap seem that much wider.

Al bent his knees carefully and leapt. One flailing arm caught the edge of the tower as he landed and he steadied himself. It was then that he spotted a much more pressing dilemma. Al leaned over the tiny hatch.

"Ed, we have a problem," Al called glumly.

Ed looked up and glowered at the too-small hatch. Then, just as Al feared we would, he grinned widely and clapped. The hatch broadened considerably amidst a brilliant light.

"Not a problem!" Ed said gleefully.

"_What the FUCK did you do?!_" Lorence howled.

Al winced as he clumsily descended the ladder into the submarine. It was a tight fit inside since the submarine really only had room for two or three people and maybe some cargo. Al had to hunch down to avoid hitting the ceiling and every time he turned around he heard the armor scraping against something. He eventually bunkered down on the floor just behind the only seat while Lorence scrambled back up the ladder to the hatch.

"You _ruined_ it," Lorence rasped. The tough, proud mechanic seemed on the verge of tears as his hand tenderly traced the hatch.

Ed rolled his eyes and clapped again. Lorence jerked his hand back as the metal reshaped itself into roughly its original size.

"That's no good!" Lorence exclaimed. "I measured out the circumference _exactly_ to give the hatch an airtight seal! If it's even a centimeter off…"

"It'll be airtight!" Ed assured him edgily.

Al inspected the hatch for himself, which he was alarmed to see no longer fit quite so snugly over the opening. The mental image of water leaking into the submarine while they were deep underwater with no way to escape wasn't a comforting one. In fact, Al was suddenly finding himself overcome by an intense feeling of claustrophobia.

"Brother, maybe he's right," Al said apprehensively. "It's not like we can swim up to the surface if something goes wrong."

That gave Ed pause for thought and Al felt a twinge of remorse at the guilt-ridden look his brother was giving him. Like usual, Ed was only thinking of the consequences as they would apply to Al's well-being rather than the both of them. Ed sized up the hatch once more and, seeming to reach a decision, clapped a third time.

"Don't even think about it, you little--!" Lorence began.

Alchemic power roared to life and when it vanished Al had to shake his head hopelessly at Ed's solution. The hatch was now molded quite seamlessly to the submarine, effectively trapping them all inside.

"That should do it," Ed said crossly. With that, he plunked himself down, practically in Al's lap thanks to the limited space, crossed his arms and looked expectantly at Lorence. "Can we _go_ now?"

By now, Lorence was quite red in the face and Al worried that Ed may have crossed the line with him. He was immensely relieved when Lorence sank into the chair with a defeated sigh and began fiddling with the submarine's controls.

"_Alchemists_," Lorence muttered, making the word into a curse. "Damned alchemists and their eccentricities…hijacking _my_ creation for your own damned use…if you hadn't freaking _welded_ that hatch I'd have thrown you both out by now…"

The engine whirred to life somewhere behind Al's head and all around he heard the sound of bubbling water. There was only one window in the front and Al started nervously when the water level began to rise until the sky vanished. Perspective returned when he saw the algae-covered posts of the dock nearby, seemingly moving up when in fact it was he who was moving down.

Al gazed out the window in fascination as the submarine sank all the way to the bottom and began to move forward. Even if he were to get his body back tomorrow and go for a swim in the bay, Al doubted he would ever see the ocean floor like this again. It was like a desert frozen in time--nothing but sand and pebbles, silent and eerie and probably very, very cold. It wasn't very likely that the submarine had any kind of heating system, a fact proven from the way Ed began to massage his flesh arm even as his own eyes widened, enthralled by the view.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Lorence said gruffly, breaking the spell. "People can get so tied up with their own lives, sometimes. Worrying about the pettiest of things and complaining that nothing interesting happens in their life. And all the while, they don't even notice that there's another world right below their feet, waiting to be explored."

"We're not here to explore," Ed said shortly.

Movement outside the submarine caught Al's attention and he pointed it out with a startled cry. "Look!"

Through the murky water, a group of roughly humanoid shapes came into view. Huskisson's creatures somehow looked even more menacing underwater, marching onward in a bizarrely slow fashion. Out of the numbers they had started with, only eleven remained and many of those were still sporting their own injuries. Even as Al watched, one of them collapsed and moved no more. None of the others seemed to notice.

"Follow them," Ed said in a low voice.

"I can't slow down to match their speed," Lorence replied, "but I know the lab's coordinates. I don't need to follow them to find it."

Ed settled back down impatiently, leaning against Al for support, but he remained tense. The silence reined for a long time after they passed the mob. Lorence was focused on piloting the submarine out towards deeper waters and Ed didn't seem in the mood to talk, which pretty much left Al with nothing to do but stare out the window. The scenery remained unchanged save for the occasional school of fish. Well over an hour passed before anyone spoke again.

"Who was it?" Lorence asked softly. "The person who died?"

Ed flinched and turned away, becoming very interested in one of the gauges nearby. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"It was one of the children," Al said and Ed's gaze snapped over to him. "Aaron. One of Huskisson's creatures pulled him into the bay and he drowned."

Lorence scowled, his jaw growing tight. "I knew him. His dad used to help me with the sub before he went to work for Huskisson. Damn kid was always trying to join the fights against those brutes, saying he had to take his dad's place."

"When the attack first started, I told him and the other children to leave," Al said dully. "I wish he'd listened to me."

"It's not your fault, Al," Ed said at once. "It's--"

"I know," Al said swiftly, catching Ed's gaze meaningfully. "It's _no one's_ fault."

A high-pitched squeal shattered the calm, reverberating through the submarine's hull until it seemed to come from every direction at once. Ed stood and moved closer to the window. Al had to settle for leaning around him. Outside, dozens of dolphins swam in and out of view. Unlike their exuberant display the day before, their movements were swift and agitated. Some repeatedly swooped before the window and squeaked urgently at the three passengers before darting away.

"What are they doing?" Al asked uneasily. Their frantic cries increased in volume until Al could hear their voices resonating within his armor.

"I've never seen them like this," Lorence said quietly.

"It's a warning," Ed said in a hushed voice.

"A warning?" Al said, turning to Ed. "What are they trying to warn us about?"

In answer, Ed pointed out the window. "_That_."

Al looked ahead and found himself at a loss for words. The dolphins finally ceased their actions and scattered so suddenly that they might have never been there in the first place. Far in the distance, a huge plot of darkness filled the window, growing larger and larger with every passing moment. The ocean floor, which had been nearly vacant before, was littered with tons of debris. Hunks of metal stuck halfway out of the sand, covered in algae and crabs and looking for all the world as if they had always been there. Al even saw the drill Ed had transmuted, now no more than a dead relic compared to the formidable machine it once was.

In the space of a single breath, the dark shape in the distance resolved itself into a man-made structure. Months of lying at the bottom of the ocean had transformed Huskisson's lab from an engineering wonder to a mere skeleton, desolate and ominous. Gaping holes showed where the explosion had done the worst damage, but there were also entire sections that seemed to still be intact.

"There," Ed said, pointing at a spot where a huge chunk of the outer wall had broken away. "Go inside."

"No," Lorence said firmly. "I won't be able to maneuver at all in there. We could end up ramming straight into an obstacle and getting trapped."

"Well, we sure as hell can't go back after coming this far!" Ed snapped. "Go inside!"

Lorence glanced over his shoulder, mouth open to argue, but Al took the opportunity to jump in. "Just for a few minutes," Al implored. "At least enough to look around. Ed and I can fix any damage to the submarine."

The Half Circle mechanic eyed them both distrustfully then looked back at the lab. Without a word, Lorence steered the submarine toward the opening and in no time at all they were inside.

The silence reigned on as the submarine glided slowly through hauntingly familiar halls. Steering the bulky machine through the lab's remains proved to be a delicate task, comparable to Al's awkward climb in. Lorence stuck to the largest passages and burst into a frenzy of curses each time the hull scraped against a wall or the floor.

"Fuck it," Lorence snarled as the submarine tilted dangerously due to another collision. "I don't know what you're looking for, but if you don't find it within the next two minutes then we're leaving. Between the three of us, there's only about an hour's worth of air left in here. That's just enough to get back to the town."

That wasn't quite true since Al didn't have lungs, but neither he nor Ed bothered to correct him. Al kept his eyes focused straight ahead as the passage they were in opened up into a huge circular space and he recognized the room where he and Ed had battled Huskisson's drill. Other corridors could be seen branching off from the area, but they were all too small for the submarine.

"End of the line," Lorence said grimly. "We're heading back."

"Can you go up?" Ed asked.

"Up?!" Lorence yelped. "Are you out of your mind? I can't see what's above me!"

"There shouldn't be much," Ed assured him. "Me and Al have been here before. This room goes from the bottom of the lab all the way to the top. We might find another way to go."

"What about the catwalks?" Al put in.

In answer, Ed pointed out the piles of stone rubble scattered across the floor. "I don't think we need to worry about those too much."

Lorence grumbled more choice swear words and began flipping switches. There was a rushing sound outside and Al didn't have to look out the window to sense that they were rising. Lorence leaned as far forward as possible to try and see any obstacles above them. Al estimated they had risen more than halfway to the top when without warning the submarine broke the surface of the water. The submarine rocked precariously and Ed was flung back into Al's lap so hard that he smack his head on an armored shoulder, making Al wince in sympathy.

"What happened?" Al asked, trying to peer out the window from his place in the back.

"Looks like there are still pockets of air in this place," Lorence said, sounding surprised. "Let's see, we were at a depth of nearly three hundred feet at the very bottom of this pit. Considering how high we rose and how big this damn place is, we should be at about ninety feet below the surface."

Ninety feet, Al thought with an inward shiver. Ever since Ed gave him his armored body, Al had been wary around any large body water. The fact was that even a tiny drop of water was capable of ruining his blood-seal, wiping out his existence for good. The thought of having that much water all around him with no way to get to safety was unnerving.

"Fascinating," Ed grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, at least we can actually get out and take a look around now."

"Get out?!" Al yelped, cringing at the very thought of leaving the submarine's protection. "Ed, are you sure that's a good idea? This place probably isn't very stable! Who knows when it'll fall apart?"

Ed opened his mouth to argue then snapped it shut. An odd look crossed his face and Al got the distinct feeling that Ed knew exactly what he was thinking, what he was afraid of.

"We can't let this opportunity slip away," Ed said slowly, "but you're right, Al."

Al eyed his brother suspiciously, surprised by this oddly placid surrender. "I…am?"

"Yeah," Ed answered and started up the ladder. "You stay here. I'll go look around."

"I…_what?!_" Al cried, his fear jumping up a notch. "Brother, no! What if something happens to you?"

"I'll be fine," Ed assured him. "Just stay here until I get back. Make sure Lorence doesn't leave without me."

"No chance of that," Lorence muttered. "I want to make sure you're both around to pay for the damage to my sub. Must have scratched it a dozen times coming in here."

One clap later, Ed was able to swing open the hatch and climb out. Visions of rushing water, collapsing floors and raving half-metal monsters made Al get up so fast that he heard his head smack against the ceiling. He scaled the ladder after his brother and only just managed to fit his head through the hatch. Ed was balancing next to the tower, but a moment later he jumped to the remains of a catwalk jutting out towards the submarine. The catwalk was just under the surface of the water and Ed landed with a loud splash, the water coming up to his ankles. He flashed Al a cocky grin over his shoulder.

"I'll be back soon, alright?"

With those departing words, Ed waded up to the nearest hallway and vanished into the darkness of the lab.

"Ed…" Al said in a small voice, aching to follow his brother into the unknown and at the same time afraid to find out what awaited him there.


	8. Full Circle

_A.N. Ugh, this story seemed like such a good idea at first and now I'm BORED of it! Does that ever happen to anyone else? _

Chapter Eight - Full Circle

_I never thought I'd see this place again_, Ed thought as he meandered through the dank, twisting passages of Huskisson's lab. The parts that weren't flooded or destroyed didn't look much different from before, but dozens of alterations--the heavy staleness in the air, broken lights and windows, a thin layer of water on the floor--served as a constant reminder that the place was empty, dead.

Ed worked his way further in, keeping all his senses on alert for Huskisson's creatures. Loraden had mentioned that there had been nearly thirty men working for Huskisson. More than half that number had been killed already so there couldn't be more than thirteen or fourteen left. Not good odds. A part of him yearned to go back and convince Al had come, but Ed held himself back. Al had every right to be afraid of this place considering the state of his body. At least Ed could be submerged in water and come back from it alive. Not so with Al's body. He was far safer back at the submarine.

Nearly ten minutes of aimless wandering passed before Ed caught the hum of active machinery echoing through the hallways. He followed the sounds toward their source curiously. Active machinery only stayed active if there was someone there to maintain it. But what could those sinful creatures need the machinery for?

It didn't take long to find the source and when he did, Ed found himself looking down on a very eerie sight. He stood on a walkway overlooking an enormous room, a veritable factory in its own right. It didn't take a prodigy to figure out that this was the area where the uranium Huskisson dug up would have been extracted and refined from the ore.

And the machines were _still working_.

Ed counted six of Huskisson's creatures below him, going about their tasks with mindless efficiency. Ed doubted they would notice him if he jumped up and down screaming his lungs out. Four were manning the machines nearest to Ed, which were being used to crush the ore, and further away he could see the other two pouring the resulting powder into huge vats. The scientist in Ed burned to know the exact process for extracting the uranium. What techniques and chemicals were used? What was the structure of this new element? How could be put to use in alchemy, in chemistry, in…?

Ed mentally smacked himself. If Huskisson could cause so much trouble with one element then he could only imagine what havoc would be wreaked if he or anyone else started fiddling with the stuff.

Letting his attention sweep over the room, Ed spotted a flight of stairs he could use to get to the level below, but he would have to go back the way he'd come and circle around to access them. Ed left the walkway and picked a random hallway, hoping it would take him to his destination. He had only moved a short distance when he heard footsteps with an unmistakably metallic ring coming from around a corner up ahead. One of those monsters must have noticed him on the walkway and come to find him.

Ed quickened his pace to a sprint, determined to catch it by surprise before it rounded the corner. But as soon as he started running, his adversary also sped up. Without breaking stride, Ed transmuted a blade on his automail arm and launched himself around the corner…

…only to collide head-on with a charging Al. The two of them went down in a pile of clattering metal parts and cries of pain and surprise respectively.

"_Damn_ it, Al," Ed grumbled, cradling his head.

"Sorry, Brother!" Al said hastily, "I thought you were one of them…"

"Afraid not," Ed muttered, returning his automail to normal, "but I saw a couple in that room back there."

"Refining the uranium ore," Al said, nodding. "I saw them too, on my way here. Why do you think they're still doing that?"

"Not sure," Ed admitted. "Maybe…maybe they still have memories of when they worked with those machines? That could also explain why they kept coming back to Half Circle."

Al was quiet for a moment as he helped Ed to his feet. "But…if they remember who they used to be then why were they hurting the people they used to care about?"

Ed could only shake his head, mystified. He couldn't even begin to fathom how the creatures' minds worked, especially since so little was understood about human transmutation to begin with. Ed took a moment to regain his sense of direction and beckoned for Al to follow him.

A few quick turns brought them to the stairs Ed had seen earlier, which they descended cautiously to the same level as the refining equipment. The noise level of the machines was much louder on that level, which helped cover the sounds of their movements. Ed hid behind one of the machines and Al crouched with him, watching Huskisson's creatures work merely yards away. Ed wrinkled his nose at the faintly alkaline taste to the air and hoped he wouldn't get poisoned like the workers.

"We should destroy those machines while we're here," Ed murmured. "If I get their attention, I can lead them somewhere else so you can do that."

"I should be the one to lead them away," Al interjected. "I can defeat them much more easily than you."

Ed hesitated, torn by natural brotherly instinct and pure logic. "Fine," he grumbled reluctantly, "but if you don't get back here soon, I'm coming after you."

Al merely nodded in acknowledgement then stood up and sped to one of the machines. Ed watched as Al scrawled a quick circle and activated it. When the alchemic light died down, the machine was so misshapen that there was no way it could ever function again. Huskisson's creatures didn't like that one bit. Every one of them abandoned their tasks to pursue Al, who fled through a nearby door.

As soon as they were gone, Ed went around demolishing the rest of the equipment and sealing off the chemical-filled vats. The task only took him a few minutes and he nodded to himself in satisfaction before he noticed another room branching off the main one. That room, Ed found, was a storage area filled floor-to-ceiling with refined uranium. He ground his teeth in aggravation, wondering whether it was safe to just leave it there, until his mind supplied him with a very simple solution for getting rid of it.

A quick transmutation got rid of the wall between the two rooms and then Ed had to actually sit down and think for an entire minute before he got the array he wanted worked out in his mind. Then, wishing he at least had Al as an audience, he clapped and pressed his hands to the floor. Every atom in the room responded to Ed's power and within seconds he was surrounded by a tornado of swirling elements. The transmutation didn't take nearly as long as he had coming up with the array and once it ended Ed smirked in triumph at the piles of ore surrounding him. He supposed it wasn't really _that_ brilliant of an idea--just a reversal of the refining process to make the uranium back into useless hunks of rock. He'd had all the material he needed at his fingertips, so why not?

Ed was still basking in his own genius when something happened that nearly made him leap from his skin.

The lab _groaned_.

Well, Ed amended, more like the grind and squeal of metal when it was under stress. But the building was hundreds of feet underwater, so of _course_ it would be under some stress! It was nothing to worry about…

…except for the water leaking from a crack in the wall near the ceiling, a crack that hadn't been there before he transmuted the wall that separated the rooms away. Even as Ed watched, the leak turned to a trickle…then a more pressurized spray…then practically a waterfall…

Ed jumped to his feet and slapped his hands together, running over to press them against the wall. He started to transmute the crack together, but the water continued to come, forcing its way through the newly alchemized metal before the atoms had the chance to settle into their new shape. That was the pitfall of alchemy. The objects were at their weakest during a transmutation and the more Ed tried to fill in the crack the weaker the wall became and the more water came through. Ed's breath hitched in alarm when he realized he was taking too much material from the surrounding wall and now it was peppered with dozens of fractures, all growing larger every second as they gave against the water pressure on the other side.

The lab groaned again. Ed abandoned the wall as a lost cause and took off running just as a huge section of it caved in. A cold rush of air swept up behind him followed by a wall of water that knocked him clean off his feet. He tumbled head over heels until he rammed into the opposite wall, struggling to hold his breath while freezing water battered him on all sides. Even the weight of his automail wasn't enough to hold him against the tide and Ed found himself being tossed in all directions as water filled the room.

Somewhere near the ceiling, Ed collided with a ladder and clung to it with all his might until he could clamber up onto the same walkway he had stood on only minutes ago. As soon as he was on his feet, Ed sprinted through the nearest doorway and shoved his shoulder against the steel door to close off the room. But the water had other plans as it rushed over the walkway and spewed through the crack in the door until it took all Ed's strength to hold back what felt like the weight of the entire ocean. He finally resorted to alchemy in desperation and welded the door in place.

Ed backed away, soaking wet and gasping for air. The transmuted door bulged outward under the force of the pressure and Ed spun on his heel and fled, knowing it was only a matter of time before the door blew right off its transmuted hinges.

A deep rumbling off in the distance sent Ed a chilling reminder that there was more than one door out of that room and by now it was too late to seal off any of them. Half the lab was probably flooded by now. There was no way to know where the water would come from next.

_Al!_

Ed halted, feeling the breath freeze in his lungs. Al had taken one of those branching paths off the room. What if it led to a dead end? What if Al couldn't get to safety before the water overtook him?

What if, even now, the armor was lying in a flooded room somewhere with the seal already washed away?

The very idea was too much and Ed felt his knees go weak, but he started running again. Al was stronger than that. If he had escaped the rushing water he would make his way back to the submarine. He _had_ to be there!

The lab shook once again and Ed heard rushing water behind him, more like thunder than anything else. He transmuted another wall behind him, hoping it would hold for at least a little while. Keeping his eyes focused ahead, Ed put all his concentration toward remembering which turns led back to the submarine. As the tallest area in the lab, that room would be the last place to be flooded, if he could just find his way…

…there!

Ed shot out of a doorway and right into a railing. He was up on one of the higher walkways with the submarine right below him. The water level had already risen substantially and more than one of the other doors had water pouring out of them.

Lorence popped up out of the submarine's too-large hatch and waved at him frantically. "Get your ass down here and fix the hatch! We've got to go!"

"Where's Al?!" Ed shouted.

"Hell if I know!"

A deafening roar behind Ed was all the warning he had and he flung himself aside just as a torrent of water shot out of the doorway. The part of the walkway he stood on began to sag under the force and Ed cast around frantically for a way out. Off to the side, Ed spotted the ladder Al had transmuted for himself months ago and threw himself at the rungs. He climbed down to the lowest walkway that still remained above the water level and stopped there, scanning all the doors that weren't flooded. Where the hell was Al?!

"Come on, come on!" Lorence yelled urgently. "I know you want to wait for your brother, but I wouldn't hold out much hope for him now!"

Ed opened his mouth to snap out an angry retort, but was interrupted by a small plunking sound next to his right ear. He glanced over just in time to see a small screw rolling off his automail shoulder. Another screw fell past him and Ed looked up cautiously. More screws were raining down from one of the structural beams in the roof. Even as Ed watched, the beam was slowly coming loose…

…right over the submarine.

"_LORENCE!_"

Ed's scream was lost when the beam gave way and dropped like a rock, smashing into the side of the submarine. The hull crumpled with a sickening crunch and the submarine listed sideways. Ed just caught a glimpse of Lorence, limp and bleeding from the head, before both he and his invention sank beneath the surface.

Gone.

This time, Ed's knees really did give way and he plopped down on the ground with his back pressed to the wall, trying to absorb what had just happened and what it meant. The water level overflowed onto the walkway, soaking into Ed's pants, but he barely felt it.

_There's no way out…I can't swim…Al can't swim…we'll both die down here…_

"Brother, get up!"

Ed snapped back to reality just as Al yanked him to his feet, only now noticing that the water had risen above his knees. Al hauled him over to the ladder and forced him to climb, scrambling up right behind him. Ed reached the next highest level and leaned against the wall weakly.

"Where's the submarine?" Al asked and Ed could tell he was trying not to sound too worried. "Where's Lorence?"

Ed swallowed dryly. "He's…he's gone."

There was a moment of absolute silence. Al's hands gripped his shoulders tightly and slowly turned him around so they were face to face. "What are you talking about, Ed?" Al said quietly. "He didn't…_leave_, did he?"

Ed shook his head, gestured vaguely at the ceiling. "The beam…came down and…crushed the submarine. Lorence was…"

His expression must have told the rest of the story because Al actually swayed at the news.

"W-What are we going to do?" Al said faintly. "What…?"

Together, he and Al looked down, watching helplessly as the water rose higher and higher. Morbidly, Ed's mind wondered what it was like to drown, to die choking on icy water, and memories of lying helpless at the bottom of the bay hit him like a punch in the stomach.

"E-Edward…"

And that was all it took--hearing Al saying his name like that, in a tone overflowing in terror that still managed to convey the faintest hope that Ed could _do_ something to save them. That was what older brothers were _for_ and it was a burden Ed had willingly carried since the day Al was born. However bad things looked, he could not--_would_ _not_--give up in front of Al.

Ed's mind went into overload, searching for ideas in their surroundings. He only had minutes to act before the ocean claimed the rest of the lab. There was plenty of material, but what could he do with so little time? For about half a second, Ed seriously considered transmuting a submarine, but immediately trashed the idea. He had no idea what the mechanics were behind the machine. The closest he could manage would be a hollow block of metal and glass and there was no way that would float.

The only other material was water and plenty of it, but there wasn't a whole lot he could _do_ with water. He could separate the molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, but transmuting the entire ocean like that was both impractical and sheer suicide. What else? The bonds between the water molecules could be altered to some extent, either by breaking the hydrogen bonds to form water vapor or taking away heat and energy to form…

"Ice!" Ed exclaimed, remembering the ice platform he'd created to save himself and Aaron. "Ice floats in water! If we make a platform big enough, it'll take us right to the surface!"

"How is that going to help me?!" Al cried, his voice cracking with panic. "I'm not waterproof!"

Casting around, Ed stilled at the sight of an observation window in the wall nearby, meant to let people in the room on the other side view the drill. The glass had been shattered at some point, but there were still some jagged shards sticking out of the window frame.

"I'll make you waterproof," Ed said decisively, stepping toward the glass. "Listen Al, I know you won't like this, but I think our only choice is to separate your seal from the armor."

"B-brother, that's--" Al stammered.

"Just hear me out!" Ed interrupted. "I can use alchemy to surround your blood-seal with a seamless glass case! That'll protect you for now and then once I get us out of here I'll put you back in the armor. I know it's risky, but it's all I've got right now!"

Another support beam gave way and the roar of water increased tremendously. Al looked between the water and Ed, clearly torn. Ed laid his hands on Al's chest plate, looking his younger brother straight in the eye. "Alphonse, I swear I'll take care of you. You have to trust me!"

Slowly, Al knelt until he was eye level with Ed and they stared at each other for a long moment. Ed forced down his impatience and waited for Al to make up his mind. He knew what he was asking of his little brother. As long as the blood-seal remained separate from the armor, Al would be completely helpless, unable to move, unable to do _anything_ save trust in Ed to keep him safe. And if anything happened to Ed, there would be no one left to free him from that state.

Al removed his helmet and set it on the ground.

"I don't like this," Al said shortly, "but I trust you. I always have."

Ed nodded in relief and clapped swiftly. Al's hands closed around his tightly.

"Brother," Al faltered, sounding scared, "just…just don't let anything happen to me, ok?"

"I won't," Ed said resolutely. "I promise."

Al released him and Ed reached inside the armor and placed his hands next to the blood-seal. Up until now, Ed had only ever activated the seal for Al's benefit, first to bind his soul and thereafter to repair any damage to the armor. The very idea of going the other way, of _deconstructing_ the armor, was completely foreign and made his stomach twist up in knots.

Blue light raced around the blood-seal's edges and a disk of metal larger than Ed's palm popped out of the armor. Though Ed had been expecting it, it was still a slight shock when the armor slumped forward and crashed to the ground, lifeless. A good word to describe it now since Al's life was contained within the seal. Ed cradled the disk in his hands, being careful to grip only the edges.

"You ok so far?" Ed asked urgently.

"I…think so," Al said, sounding hesitant. "I just don't like that I can't move…"

Ed seized a chunk of broken glass with his automail hand and snapped it off the window frame. He set the glass on the walkway next to the armor and positioned the blood-seal on top of it.

"It's only for now," Ed assured him. "I'm going to make this glass thick, so I don't know if you'll be able to hear me. Ready?"

"No," Al said unhappily, "but go ahead."

Ed clapped once more and held his hands over the blood-seal. Instantly, the glass became as malleable as water, swirling over and around the disk and hardening into a protective cover. The red lines looked distorted through the glass, but at least the seal was protected now.

"Ok," Ed muttered, half to himself and half to Al. "Just the ice now."

A drop of water landed on the blood-seal's case and Ed looked up. Water seeped in through cracks in the ceiling and a portion of it collapsed with a screech of metal. A surge of water roared in, raising the water level even faster than before. The water was merely a foot below the walkway he stood on.

Ed slid the blood-seal into a pocket so he could work, wincing at the thought of Al trapped in the dark without a clue what was going on. Working fast, he clapped his hands and leaned over the water. Instantly, the water beneath his hands hardened into ice and he sped the reaction up until he had a platform big enough for the armor. Ed fused the ice platform to the walkway to keep it from floating away and went back to the armor. Once he put the helmet back on, Ed braced his shoulder against the chest plate and started pushing with his automail leg. At first, the armor didn't move at all, but slowly the automail's strength overcame the armor's weight and the armor rolled off the walkway onto the platform.

Which immediately started to sink.

Ed clapped in panic and slammed his hands on the ice. He had to make the ice nearly six feet thick and taper it to a point at the bottom before it stabilized. Once the platform--now essentially a miniature iceberg--was balanced, Ed gingerly climbed on himself and disconnected it from the walkway. The ice wobbled a little, but remained upright and Ed positioned himself next to the armor, one hand thrown over the chest plate while the other groped in his pocket to hang onto the blood-seal.

"_You!_"

Ed started at the guttural scream of rage and looked up. There, standing on the highest walkway in the room, stood a handful of Huskisson's creations. Ed swallowed thickly when he saw the one speaking to him was the very same monster that was responsible for drowning Aaron in the bay.

"Ed, what's going on?" Al asked, his voice barely audible over the rushing water. "What was that sound?"

Ed fished the blood-seal from his pocket and held it up so Al could see them for himself. "It's the group that attacked the town. Looks like there's only seven left now. The rest must have been too injured to get back."

"Put me back!" Al yelled immediately. "You can't fight that many by yourself!"

"I don't need to," Ed said firmly. "They can't reach us out here."

Or so he thought. Far above, Ed noticed the one that used to be Aaron's father prowling the edge of the walkway. Then, to Ed's shock, the creature stepped right off the edge and plummeted straight for him. Ed jumped aside at the last second and it hit the ice, hard. Hard enough to make the whole platform tremble and send little hairline fractures throughout. Ed stood straight and slipped Al's blood-seal back into his pocket, ignoring his brother's shrill protests.

The monster raised one half-metal arm toward Ed in accusation. "_You've killed us! The equipment! The lab! We need…_"

"…the uranium," Ed breathed, horror filling him. He should have known it from the beginning. All transmutations, even the forbidden kind, used every material that was offered to create the final product. That was why alchemists had to be so careful with their work so that extra components didn't accidentally get mixed in.

And every single body involved in Huskisson's transmutation was chock full of uranium particles. Somehow, the transmutation had made it so that the very element that poisoned the workers to death was the only thing keeping their bodies alive. Now that the machines to refine it were destroyed, how much longer would they last?

Two more impacts jarred the ice and Ed found himself surrounded.

"I had to do it," Ed said, trying to sound firm despite the tremble in his voice.

The one before him hissed, swiping one hand in a finalizing gesture. "_Fix it,_" it demanded. "_Fix the machines so our families can join us…_"

"What are you talking about?!" Ed demanded. "They _can't_ join you! Don't you get it?! You've been hurting them this whole time! You killed your own _son!_"

"_You can bring him back,_" Aaron's father rasped. "_Remember you, alchemist. You can change them. Like he…changed us…_"

Ed took an involuntary step back, feeling sick to his stomach. Why was it that everyone in this god-forsaken lab had so much trouble with the whole 'human transmutation is taboo' thing?!

"_Make them like us!_" Aaron's father commanded and the words were echoed all around. "_Make them like us!_"

"_No!_" Ed bellowed, seeing Aaron's screaming face in his mind. "I can't let you hurt that town anymore! I…_I can't let anyone else get killed!_"

With that, Ed clapped and transmuted a blade on his automail. It was time to put the last of Huskisson's insane experiments to rest for good. He charged forward and thrust out, catching the first creature by surprise. The blade went straight through its head with an awful squelching sound. Ed pulled back and turned just in time to deliver similar stabs to the other two, aiming for the parts of their bodies that were still flesh. Now that Ed had fought them once, it was a simple matter to play on their slow reflexes and aim for their weak points.

Three down, four to go. Ed viciously kicked the bodies off the ice and snapped his gaze up, daring the rest of them to come down. Through all this, the water level had continued to raise the ice up until he was almost level with the walkway the monsters stood on. But the last four backed off, milling around a bit and mumbling among themselves before slinking back into the shadows. Ed blinked in surprise, but put it from his mind when he realized just how close the ceiling was. He had to get prepared for what came next.

"Brother?" Al called from his pocket, sounding worried.

"Hang in there, Al," Ed said softly, slowly sinking to his knees beside the armor. His heart was in his throat by the time the ceiling was only five feet away, close enough for him to touch if he stood up. Ed took the time to transmute some of the ice into a band around the armor's waist to hold it in place then laid down and did the same for himself. The most dangerous part of this crazy stunt would be the transition from inside the lab to the open ocean. There was no way to tell whether he would be able to hold his breath long enough to reach the surface, whether the ice would break apart on the way up, whether the pressure at this level would be too much for him to handle…so many variables that he didn't have time to consider or do anything about.

When the ceiling was only a foot above him, the platform stopped rising and water swarmed over the ice. Ed sucked in a deep breath at the last possible second and then he was underwater. He waited as long as he dared for the water to fill up the tower completely then clapped and touched the ceiling. The roof opened completely and Ed grunted in agony when the water pressure hit him, compressing his chest until he lost half his air. His head swam and lights danced before his eyes.

With nothing to hold it back, the platform began to rise much more quickly than Ed anticipated, flattening him against the ice. Above him, Ed saw nothing but darkness and he wondered for a brief, panicked moment if the surface even existed anymore. The pressure began to vanish as well and Ed felt sharp shooting pains in his lungs. It took several seconds for Ed to remember that gas expanded with less pressure and unless he wanted to burst a lung he'd better lose some of that precious air. His hand groped around for Al's blood-seal, safely tucked away in his pocket, and he clung to it like it was his last hope.

Far above him, Ed finally saw a light, saw the sun through blurry, water-logged vision. The light dazzled him as it grew brighter and brighter, his vision tunneling until the light was all he knew.

_Get too close to it and all you'll do is burn up…_

The ice broke the surface.

Air! Ed let his lungs have their fill, sucking oxygen in so fast that he practically choked on it. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to rest, only aware of the sun beating down on him and the gentle rise and fall of the waves.

"Never again!" Ed gasped, transmuting the ice band away so he could sit up. "That was the stupidest, most _idiotic_ thing I've ever done in my life!"

"I'll say!" Al piped up.

Ed threw his head back and laughed, hearing just a tinge of hysteria in his voice. He pulled Al's blood-seal from his pocket and held it up so he could properly examine the lines. "You're ok, right?"

"I will be once I'm back in the armor," Al said pointedly.

"Let me catch my breath first, then I'll put you back," Ed said. "I'm not sure how we're going to get back to the town. We'll have to wait until they send a boat to check where we went. At least we've got plenty of water to transmute so we don't have to worry about sinking anytime soon."

"Is my chalk ok?" Al asked.

Ed grimaced. How could he have forgotten that? He reached for the small bag Al always carried with him and cursed when a quick search yielded nothing. "It must have disintegrated in the water, Al. Good thing I can transmute without--"

"_Look out!_"

Al's cry came too late. Something slammed into the back of Ed's head and stars exploded in his vision. He was thrown forward onto his stomach and the blood-seal flew from his hands, skidding across the ice and into the water.

"_Alphonse!_" Ed screamed, but before he could get up a foot slammed into his back. A metal foot.

Impossible! How had they…?!

On all sides, metal hands and arms began reaching over the ice from where they had been clinging to the edges. They must have been there the whole time, hanging on just out of sight. Ed cursed himself for his own stupidity and his eyes shot back to the water, to the place where Al's blood-seal had vanished. Glass and metal were heavy and every second he wasted meant Al was sinking further away…

Ed brought his hands together and touched the leg holding him down. A jolt of energy twisted the metal parts and the thing recoiled, howling in pain. Ed ducked under another creature's flailing arms and dove headfirst into the water.

Ed let his automail pull him down, keeping his eyes wide open and searching. He didn't care if he had to go all the way to the bottom to find the blood-seal. He would die before he lost Al!

Below him, Ed spotted a wink of reflected light off the glass case. The blood-seal was sinking, but erratically as the water currents tossed it around like a leaf. Ed caught up within seconds and snatched it up. He gripped the glass between his teeth and clapped again, preparing to make another ice platform.

The metal arms that wrapped around his neck sent that plan awry. Ed tried to throw them off, but two more arms grabbed his right arm and held it prisoner. Al's blood-seal slipped from his mouth and Ed threw out his remaining hand to catch it, clutching it to his chest. The other two monsters of came into view, sinking further into darkness along with him. Ed made another floundering attempt to escape and failed. A metal arm wrapped around his chest and began to squeeze the air out of him.

Something slammed into one of the creatures holding Ed and the weight around his neck vanished. Ed's eyes shot wide open as the water all around him seemed to come alive. Gray shapes burst in and out of his vision, thwacking Huskisson's creatures with their tails and shrieking up an angry storm.

_Dolphins,_ Ed's mind supplied helpfully. Creatures that went to great lengths to protect those they cared for. Ed wondered how they knew he had Al with him.

A dorsal fin swam in front of Ed's nose and he grabbed it without a second thought. The dolphin kicked out for the surface and two more joined in, nosing Ed upward with their snouts. Ed looked down once and saw nothing but a huddle of shapeless lumps, some with clouds of red coming from them. Then they were gone, swallowed by the murky depths. Ed couldn't decide whether to be relieved or chagrined that the dolphins got to be the ones to finish off Huskisson's mistake.

Then Ed was back on the surface and gasping for air for the second time in five minutes. He let his head droop down and rest against the animal's smooth skin, his eyes slipping shut.

"Al?" Ed choked.

"_You DROPPED me!_" Al wailed from his position firmly ensconced between Ed's hand and his chest.

"I came right down for you!" Ed objected feebly then dissolved into a fit of coughing. One of the dolphins nudged him, chirping insistently, and Ed raised his head. The ice platform swam into view and his heart quailed at the energy it would take to climb back on. Ed managed only with the dolphins' helping to push him up until he could collapse next to the armor, the blood-seal still in his hand. Something was wrong. The world was spinning far more than it should have been.

"Brother?" Al inquired anxiously.

"Need a minute, Al," Ed mumbled. "Then I'll…put you back…"

Al's voice barely reached him, growing further away every second. "Brother, wait! Put me back now! Are you hurt?! Ed please, I can't do anything like this! _Brother!_ _BROTHER!_"


	9. Epilogue

Chapter Nine - Epilogue

Thinking back to the moment when Ed passed out on the ice, Al could freely admit that to be the most terrifying moment of his life. Not even the night of their failed human transmutation could compare because at least then Al had been able to get help for his injured brother. Al still shuddered to remember his own helplessness, trapped on a platform of ice in the middle of the ocean, unable to check whether Ed was even alive or not despite being right next to him, knowing it was only a matter of time before the ice melted away…

Al returned to reality just in time to notice how badly the tray in his hands was shaking from his too-strong grip. He eased up and focused on not spilling anything on his way up the stairs. Though Al couldn't have actual nightmares, or perhaps _because _of that, dark thoughts had a way of sneaking up on him when he least expected. The best remedy for that, Al had learned, was to focus on something else, something that occupied his mind and heart fully. Taking care of those who needed him, whether it was a kitten or his brother, tended to work the best and so Al turned his mind to the task at hand--nursing a sick Ed back to health.

Balancing the tray in one hand, Al slid open the door to his and Ed's room with the other and entered to find the doctor just finishing his exam. Loraden stood nearby with her arms crossed and the only sounds in the room were Ed's wretched moans from where he lay curled up in a miserable ball under the bed's covers.

Al set the tray down on Ed's nightstand. Ed cast one look at the food it contained and turned green, clinging tightly to the basin in his hands.

"Well, young man," the doctor said gently, "it's nothing too serious. Just a minor case of decompression sickness."

The basin hit the wall with a loud clang.

"Call this _minor!_" Ed croaked. "I feel like _shit_, you useless hack!"

"What _is_ decompressions sickness?" Al asked quickly. A day had passed since Loraden found them both on the ice platform, following the dolphin pod in her boat, and Al hadn't stopped worrying ever since. On the boat ride back, Ed had awoken only once and then just long enough to transmute Al's blood-seal back on the armor. Once back in Loraden's house, Al had spent the entire night huddled over his sick brother, afraid he may have picked up the same sickness that killed the workers in the lab.

"It's a condition common with deep divers," the doctor explained. "When you rise too quickly from deep water, the gases in your body expand and form bubbles in places where there should be none. Nitrogen is usually the culprit. Depending on where those bubbles are, decompression sickness can manifest as anything from simple nausea to fatality."

At Al's swift glance in Ed's direction, the doctor waved his hand reassuringly. "I don't think there's anything to worry about now. If he hasn't ruptured a lung or had a stroke by now then he should be fine. The nausea, dizziness and joint pain he's experiencing will pass within a few days once his body adjusts. You should definitely keep an eye on him and get him to a hospital if he gets worse instead of better."

"Can you _go_ now?" Ed grumbled. "Your voice is hurting my head."

The doctor retreated with a tolerant shake of his head, nodding to Loraden on the way out. An uncomfortable silence fell over the room and Al knelt by the head of Ed's bed, wondering how to break it.

A door opened downstairs. "Loraden?"

At the sound of Dorian's voice, Loraden's head snapped toward the door with such a look of pained need that Al actually felt guilty for catching it. Al hadn't yet told her in so many words that her father was dead, but she was smart enough to put the pieces together. Despite that, Loraden had remained remarkably composed when she found them, even assuring Al that she wouldn't divulge his secret to anyone since they had finished off Huskisson's creatures like they promised. Al doubted Loraden had allowed herself the luxury of feeling sad over her loss, let alone sought comfort in the shoulder of a friend.

Al waved his hand to get her attention. "We'll be fine here. Go ahead."

Loraden only stayed long enough to cast him grateful look before stepping out. A moment later, Al heard her voice and Dorian's intermingling downstairs before they faded, presumably moving out of his hearing.

"Al?"

The blatant vulnerability brother's voice snapped Al's attention back to Ed. "Yes?"

"Basin?"

Al snatched up the basin and got it under Ed's chin just in time. Once, just listening to the pained retching and sickening splashes would have sent Al into his own fit of dry heaves. Sometimes, armor had advantages, other times…

Ed shoved the basin away with a disgusted look and sank down on the pillows, breathing heavily. Al took the basin to the bathroom to wash it out, knowing it would most definitely be needed later. While he was there, he ran a cloth under cold water for Ed's forehead. When Al came back, Ed was rubbing his automail shoulder, hissing in pain.

"Is it bad?" Al asked, gripped by a perverse desire to share Ed's pain. They had been through the same experience and it just wasn't _fair_ that only Ed had to suffer for it.

"Worse," Ed muttered, accepting the wet cloth on his forehead with a grateful sigh. "Worse than when it rains or when water gets in the joints. Not just the automail, it's all over my body."

Ed clapped a hand over his mouth suddenly and Al could see his throat working furiously against the nausea that was no doubt clawing its way up. Al only vaguely remembered the feeling. He offered the basin, but Ed declined. "Stomach's empty now," he mumbled past his hand.

"You should eat something," Al said in concern, "or at least have some water."

Ed shook his head furiously, causing the cloth to drop to the pillow. "Anything but water."

Al merely sighed and replaced the cloth on Ed's forehead, this time keeping his hand over it. It was a sign of just how bad Ed was feeling that he didn't pull away or act like he didn't need Al's comfort.

"Did you tell her?" Ed asked quietly.

There was no need to elaborate on who or what he was talking about. "Not yet," Al murmured, "but she knows. She didn't want the details."

Ed's expression clouded over. "She will want them eventually. She'll want to know why we didn't save him."

Al could think of nothing to say to that so he settled for stroking Ed's temple with his thumb. Ed's eyes slid over to ponder the food again, but he seemed to decide against risking it.

"Do you want me to get you something else?" Al asked. "There's some fruit downstairs."

Ed perked up. "Fruit might be better," he said slowly. "Light, tasty, not _too_ watery…not like that soup you brought up." Ed cast the soup in question a heated look then quickly averted his gaze, his stomach apparently unable to handle the mere sight of it. It took a lot of Al's willpower not to poke fun at the fact that Ed was fighting a losing battle against an innocent bowl of soup--shrimp soup, no less.

"I'm just glad all this is really over," Al said as he gathered up the tray.

"It should have been over a long time ago," Ed muttered.

Al paused then slowly sat back down on the end of the bed. Ed had something he needed to say. Al could tell despite the fact that Ed was refusing to make eye contact. Ed let his eyes drift to the window. Far away, the sounds of celebration could be heard. The festival was still in full swing and the news that Huskisson's monsters had at last met their end had spread like wildfire. Al wondered if the town had been told of Lorence's death or if Loraden was keeping it to herself for now.

"Did you hear what they said to me down there?" Ed whispered, keeping his eyes on the sky outside. Though Al knew exactly what Ed was talking about, he remained silent.

"They wanted me to…to make their families the same as them," Ed continued. "That's why they were trying to take people from the town. At first, I couldn't believe it. I mean, what made them think they could ever pull that off? But…"

Ed swallowed convulsively, his voice cracking on the next words. "…it was because of me. Because they _remembered_ me. People didn't start getting taken until _after_ we got here, Al. _After_ they tried to take me."

"That doesn't make it your fault," Al said gently.

"Doesn't it?" Ed asked with a self-deprecating snort. "I don't know what to believe anymore. All I know is that when I came here I wanted to keep people from getting hurt because of our mistake. And now it turns out I may have made things worse just by _being _here."

"No, Brother," Al said firmly, earning a surprised look from Ed. "It's because we came back that we were able to prevent more people from dying. The people here are strong, but if we hadn't been here things probably would have escalated anyway and more people would have gotten hurt or killed."

Ed didn't look quite convinced yet. "You really believe that?"

"I do," Al answered without a trace of doubt. "Those creatures' minds don't…didn't work like ours. They couldn't think of anything beyond their own survival, their own needs. I know that because if they had still had their souls then they would _never_ have wished that kind of existence on someone they loved."

Al paused for a moment then continued softly, "If we hadn't come back…I don't think Aaron and Lorence would have been the only victims."

"And Harris," Ed added somberly. "And Aaron's father and all the other workers that Huskisson murdered. Shit, Al we made so many mistakes…"

"And we're correcting them as best we can," Al pointed out. "No one can expect more than that."

Ed thought that over in silence, which was interrupted by a knock on the door. Loraden's young housekeeper poked her head into the room. She had just returned from her vacation the night before and had been invaluable in keeping visitors from bothering Ed with their thanks and invitations to celebrate.

"There's a man on the phone for Edward," she said cheerfully, her cheeks tinted a rosy pink. "He introduced himself as Colonel Roy Mustang."

"Aw, _craaap_," Ed groaned, pulling the blanket over his head. "I was supposed to call him yesterday and report on our progress! Just _thinking_ of that bastard's voice is making me want to vomit!"

"Should I tell him you're indisposed?" the housekeeper said hastily, clearly eager to return to her conversation with the biggest womanizer in East City--and apparently everywhere else.

"I'll go talk to him, Brother," Al reassured the lump under the blanket. "At least this time you have an actual reason for not reporting in on time."

Ed practically erupted out of the blankets to wrap his arms clumsily around Al's waist. "You're the best brother ever! Whoa, head rush…moving fast, bad idea…"

Al chuckled as he lowered a swaying Ed back down on the pillows. On his way out, he handed off the soup to the housekeeper with a polite request to bring Ed fruit instead. On his way downstairs to the phone in the hallway, Al reflected on what he had told Ed. Even though they would be leaving Half Circle as soon as Ed felt well enough, Al knew it would be a long time before either of them could completely let this go. Ed was right. They _had_ made a lot of mistakes. But unlike his guilt-tripping older brother, Al refused to go through life dwelling on every single thing he couldn't do right, nor would he allow that to happen to Ed. Sometimes, it just paid to be reminded what one still had left to treasure today rather than what was lost the day before.

Passing by an open door, Al couldn't help peeking in at the pair sitting together on the couch. Loraden was leaning into Dorian's shoulder, speaking to him in a low tone while he stroked her hair. The atmosphere emanated friendly comfort with just the barest hint of 'something more'. Oddly, it made Al think of the frequent, yet lighthearted banter that often cropped up between Ed and Winry and he reminded himself to ask Dorian for the basket Ed had bought for her the day before.

But not now, Al thought slyly as Loraden tilted her head up just enough to brush her lips against a blushing Dorian's cheek. There would be time later.

And Al couldn't help but smile to himself as he left the couple in peace, looking forward to the day when he would catch his brother and childhood friend in a similar position.


End file.
